Longport Mayor Nick Russo said he's willing to try again - in part blaming what he called a"misleading" flier from a library group - but the situation raises a number of issues that could have a long-lasting impact on county libraries.

More affluent towns such as Longport are critical in supporting county library branches and services in smaller, less affluent communities - but many of those same towns are seeking to lessen their tax rates and might find the idea of controlling their own library appealing, as Avalon did when it split of from Cape May County's system in 2002.

So in a time of increased shared services, could one of the oldest shared services in New Jersey - county libraries - be facing a difficult future?

"It depends on who pulls out and how many," said Cape May County Library Director Deborah Poillon. "Obviously, the shore communities put a lot of money into the county system. Losing Avalon did hurt us some, but when they pulled out, the boom times were still in effect. But if Avalon were still in the county system, the library tax rate would be much lower."

County libraries are funded through property taxes from all towns without their own municipal library, whether they have a branch or not. The library tax rate is equalized - so towns pay more or less depending on how their assessments match up with the current market rates.

In 2011, for example, the Atlantic County rate averaged out to about 2.8 cents per $100 of assessed value, or about $28 per $100,000, said the county's library director, Karen George. Individual towns, however, had rates as disparate as 6.2 cents per $100 in Mullica Township or 2.8 cents in Brigantine. Longport's rate was 4.3 cents.

Towns that operate municipal libraries, on the other hand, use the "third of a mil" formula, which is always 3.3 cents per $100.

"The funding structure is not an easy thing," said Pamela Tumulty, the executive director of the New Jersey Library Association. "Longport has been in the county library system for so long, if they pulled out it would have a significant impact on the county library system."

The association, Tumulty said, "supports the process of doing what (Longport) did by referendum. The public needs to have a voice."

Longport's referendum was defeated 171-159, including mail-in ballots, a result that Russo said he was disappointed by.

"I really believe that voters may not have understood the issue," Russo said.

He said that Longport pays more than $650,000 in library taxes to the county, but the cost of operating the Longport branch is about $255,000.

"That's a difference of $400,000 not staying in Longport," Russo said. A committee, he added, "overwhelmingly concluded that Longport should leave the Atlantic County System."

Russo cited a flier distributed by the nonprofit Atlantic County Library Foundation, which said a "yes" vote would mean "No more Longport branch", "All books ... relocated" and "higher library taxes in Longport for at least 8-10 years."

"It's misleading, and I find that unconscionable," Russo said, adding that the borough planned to create its own library. "I don't believe it's a dead issue. ... We're really talking about six votes one way or another. I believe it would be prudent to revisit it now that we know there's a special interest group that does not want to see Longport leave the system."

Foundation President Luann Amodeo, who has personal experience with such a move from when Linwood left the system in the late 1980s, said that the group "was just getting factual information out there of what to expect when a branch pulls out."

Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson agreed that there was "nothing misleading about what the foundation wrote."

The books and equipment, Levinson said, "are owned by the county library and if they left the system (the county system) would certainly take the books back. ... They'd have to buy (their own) books, computers, magazines, videos, all the things you have to put into a library for it to get accredited. It's not an easy thing to do and it's not cheap."

As to the other claims, George said that Longport would have still paid into the county system for two years - "It gives us a chance to absorb the change in our funding," she said - and that a 2010 law mandates that a city's municipal budget would not get back any surplus funds from library budgets for eight years.

Levinson also criticized Russo for talking about another referendum, saying that "If a mayoral election is a close vote, should we have another vote on that one also? ... If Longport were to leave, I don't have a problem, but the people have spoken. Should they keep paying for an election every year until they get it the way they want it? That's not how the system works."

Still, Russo said that "Even though taxpayers may not have seen immediate relief, we would have had better, more local control of taxpayer money."

In Cape May County, Poillon said, "If one other big town were to pull out, we'd probably be OK with general services, but some things we do like computers and databases, we'd have to look at trimming some services back."

As for whether any towns might look at pulling out, Poillon said "We always hear rumors."

Tumulty said she was familiar with Cumberland County, which has a different funding system and includes both county branches and municipal libraries in Bridgeton and Vineland - and there has been talk of ending the county system.

"For many people, you need a close facility," said Tumulty. "If you close the Cumberland County libraries, the Bridgeton library is a very small facility, so people might have to drive to the county college. For people of poorer economic status, a library can be a community focal point. You can't even apply for a job without internet access. Some governments only put information online. If you have to drive 25 minutes every day (to the nearest library), you disenfranchise people."

The same situation might happen if county branches were to close if more towns pulled out, she said.

"Libraries are not frills," she said. "People need a facility they can use. It's an essential part of doing anything."

Contact Steven Lemongello:

609-272-7275