Residents turn out to support local library
State caps put Jamesburg facility at risk
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

A standing-room-only crowd packed the council quarters June 13, sharing one common goal - to keep the Jamesburg Public Library open.

The mayor and Borough Council called upon the public to come out to the meeting to discuss the future of the library, which may end up closing as a result of state legislation.

"It's going to be in the residents' hands, what it's going to be," Mayor Anthony LaMantia said. "The perception out there in the public is, 'You're closing the library.' That's not what we're doing."

Officials are planning a referendum that will allow residents to decide if the library should close, and if they would like the town to have an association library, which is run on discretionary council funding and fundraising. A referendum is the only way the town can eliminate the library.

At the root of the issue is a state-imposed 4 percent cap on municipal-spending increases, slated to take effect next year. The cap poses problems for small municipalities like Jamesburg, whose budgets are considerably smaller than those of larger towns. Also, the town's tight budget has not left room for discretionary spending, Councilman Otto Kostbar pointed out.

"We've tried to keep our budget under control, and now we're going to get punished for it," Councilman Joseph Jennings said.

Jennings said it is a conundrum that state legislators would impose the cap while forcing municipalities to spend above it on mandates. The mayor and council said they have had ongoing communication with state government officials seeking a solution, and they urged residents to do the same.

"We have to let the state know what our feelings are . . . and we need to do it today," LaMantia said.

State law dictates that the town must pay the library one-third of a million per $100 of assessed value in town. Due to the fact that the value of homes in Jamesburg has been on the rise for the past ten years, the amount paid to the library has been going up about 15 percent per year. This year, the library is operating on $170,000 in municipal funds. That number will likely rise by about $27,000 by next year, Kostbar said.

"There has been a tremendous increase in the library budget," Kostbar said. "We have had to raise taxes each year to meet that 15 percent increase."

According to Kostbar, there are five areas where cuts could possibly be made to the municipal budget, though none of them are particularly attractive. The police department will be down an officer due to the retiring chief, and officials said they do not want to see any other cuts there.

"Public safety is the last entity I would be looking at," LaMantia said.

Public works is another area in which Kostbar said cuts would not be feasible, because the department as it stands consists of four individuals, which is barely enough to cover the needs of the town.

Although officials have discussed switching garbage pick-up to a private company in the past, the potential negative aspects involved in such a move would outweigh the money saved. Kostbar said a private company might cost more, and if residents did not pay, their garbage would not be picked up.

The small budget of $21,000 allotted for recreation in the town could be tweaked, Kostbar said, but would not represent enough savings to make any kind of real difference.

With those vital departments aside, the library is left in the spotlight. Many residents, however, consider the library comparably vital, and do not want to see it go.

"Maybe this is premature," resident Gregory Newton said. "We're preparing to take a somewhat drastic measure for something that may not be a problem."

Newton said officials were making financial projections that may not pan out. He questioned why, when the town is threatened, they must threaten to take things away from residents.

"We're not threatening anybody, we're telling them what the consequences could be," LaMantia said.

Carole Hetzell, vice-president of the library board of trustees, also expressed her unhappiness with the situation.

"Jamesburg always seems to be in a crisis with money," Hetzell said. "It's a perception of how we are as a town."

Hetzell pointed out that many are working to make Jamesburg a walking town, and the library is a popular, accessible walking destination. Other residents said eliminating the library does not jibe with revitalization goals being set.

"It's about what Jamesburg is becoming," Michael Teehan said. "I think you missed the boat, that you want institutions like libraries to shine in a town. People out there would say, 'why would you want to live in a town that can't afford a library?'"

A recurring theme was the effects such action could have upon the children of Jamesburg. Aside from educational benefits, it is an accessible public place where youngsters can feel safe, residents said.

"My gut reaction to the whole issue is, in this age of No Child Left Behind, how can we consider closing our library?" James Smith, a resident and school teacher asked.

Dorothy Klotzbeacher, a member of the library board of trustees, had a similar sentiment.

"What message are we sending to our youngest residents?" Klotzbeacher asked.

Klotzbeacher added that the library is the only public town center in Jamesburg.

"Its presence serves to unify this ethnically diverse community," Klotzbeacher said.

Molly Messina, a resident who said she came out to represent the Spanish community, agreed. She said both she and her children use the library often, and those who work there go out of their way to serve the Spanish community by asking what books and other media they would like to see.

Some residents were not happy with the prospect of having an association library, because it would be a downgrade from the present library, and it would depend, in some part, on the support of the council.

"Then, we [would be] at the mercy of donations, and a budget by the council that's always in crisis," Hetzell said.

The library, founded in 1930, was an association library until 1981. It experienced financial problems, however, when the borough eventually decreased the amount given to the library, with the funding as low as $250 one year.

"This council will make sure that if it goes to an association library, it will get . . . properly funded," Councilman Brian Grimes said.

Kostbar said the library board agreed to run on a lesser amount than the state mandates, but both the New Jersey Library Association and the New Jersey State Library said that would be against the law. Officials also considered charging rent for the library building, which was donated by the fire department, but that is also not legal.

"Basically, we get blocked every way we try to turn by the state library board," Kostbar said.

Though the mayor and council said they are trying to explore every avenue to keep the library afloat, and have urged residents to reach out to state legislators, some residents seem to think they do not care as much about the library as they say.

Pauline Smith, a 60-year resident of the town, asked how many individuals on the dais had library cards. Kostbar was the only one to raise his hand.

"There is not a person on this dais that wants to close the library," Councilman John Longo said.

Pat Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, came to the meeting to offer support. She said the association, along with Bill Dressel from the League of Municipalities, has been working to get Assemblyman Louis Greenwald to remove libraries from the cap. The 14 county libraries in New Jersey are outside of the budget cap, with a dedicated tax line.

"We are pledging our support to try to make this work," Tumulty said.