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April 27, 2011

Cumberland County residents beg freeholders to keep library open

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
April 26, 2011

By THOMAS BARLAS Staff Writer

BRIDGETON — Cumberland County residents begged their freeholders Tuesday to change their minds about a wide range of funding cuts, one of which could lead to the demise of the county library here.

More than 130 residents packed the third floor meeting room in the county courthouse for the freeholders’ budget hearing.

While those residents said they understand money is tight, they said some services are too important to cut.

One of the chief objections was to laying off the county library staff, something that would essentially close the facility. That would make Cumberland County the first county in the state to shutter a library system because of budgetary problems.

Fran Smith, whose United Auto Workers union represents library workers, said the county can still make changes — in part by better scheduling — that could keep the library open. Those changes would still result in layoffs, but fewer than are now being considered, he said.

Hopewell Township resident Gregory Lane said one of the most important things that government can do is give people the chance to improve themselves — something that happens regularly at the county library.

“It is still an excellent depository for books and knowledge,” Lane said, adding that it provides necessary services to many county residents who can’t afford Internet services to help search for jobs.

The county took no final action on the budget Tuesday night.

Freeholder Chairman William Whelan said the budget needs further review, and there is yet no approval of the proposed fiscal plan by the state Department of Community Affairs. There are still decisions to be made about what revenue can be plugged into the budget from the Cumberland Manor nursing home, he said.

Whelan said there is still a $1.6 million budget gap that needs to be closed.

“We must determine how we are going to close that gap,” he said. “We will be working on that in the next several weeks.”

“I think the important thing is that we have more problems than we thought,” Freeholder Thomas Sheppard said.

The situation may result in county officials being “more draconian in our cuts,” he said.

Budget adoption is now scheduled for the freeholder’s May 24 meeting. The freeholders will continue the budget hearing at that time.

The county is proposing a $136.9 million budget, of which $82.9 million will be raised by taxation. That’s the same figure as the past two years.

The budget would raise the county tax rate by 4 cents. The resulting tax rate of 90 cents per $100 of assessed property value would cost a home owner $90 in county taxes for a property assessed at $100,000 this year.

County officials are considering layoffs, privatizing some services and other cuts to close the budget gap.

But the possible library closing drew the most response on Tuesday.

Residents said studies show that property values are higher near libraries. They told the freeholders that the county library is one of few options for children living in poverty — a significant problem in Cumberland County — to find books to read. One student from Hopewell Township gave the freeholders a petition signed by 300 people who want to keep the county library open.

Local resident Frank Hartman said closing the county library, which is located on Route 49 here, would be one more blow to the city, which has already lost several state agencies in the past several months.

“We have nothing left but the library,” Hartman said. “We are citizens of this city. We expect and demand that our elected officials make the right decisions that are best for our community.”

Francis Reilly, executive director of the CEO Group, a nonprofit corporation made up of more than 40 private companies in the county, asked the freeholder to consider selling Cumberland Manor. That could raise needed money for the budget, he said, and possibly help save the county library.

“The CEO Group firmly believes that this board should carefully investigate and seriously consider a sale of (the manor) to private enterprise,” he said.

The county is also proposing to cut the $25,000 it provides for the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or SPCA.

The agency’s director, Bev Greco, said withholding the money might wind up costing taxpayers more money in the long run. The county might have to turn to costly private companies to do the services the SPCA currently performs, she said.

“This cut, along with what we’re suffering in the community, will be one more thing that will make us unavailable to give the county the services it needs,” Greco said.

The county is also considering privatizing nursing services at the county jail.

Carol Warren, a nurse at the jail, said the county will find it difficult to get nurses willing to work in the facility.

“I don’t think privatizing is the answer,” she said. “You’re not going to find anybody qualified more than we are.”

Contact Thomas Barlas:

609-226-9197

TBarlas@pressofac.com
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Posted by tumulty at April 27, 2011 6:14 AM

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