Politics & Government

Library Expects Closures Without Funding Help

As long as the 2011 budget stays flat and the library receives a $62K boost from the council, closings can be prevented, library officials say.

If the doesn't receive a significant bump in funding from the village council, it will again have to close for several days in 2012 and 2013, according to library officials.

Library officials are expected to request that the village council provide it an additional $61,818 over last year's budget.

Nancy Greene, the library director, said such an increase will bring the library budget up to roughly that of and prevent closings during the upcoming budget year. It's unclear how many closings may result if the council doesn't fund the request or partially funds it.

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Proposed at $2,583,158 in 2012, the library's budget is largely tied to fluctuating property values. When property values fall, the minimum level of funding the municipality is required to pay is lowered. The average assessed home in Ridgewood has fallen about $3,000 in the last year. And so too has the , which at $2,126,204 is about $71,000 less than the 2011 actual budget. In other words, the library is asking for $133,020 above the minimum funding level allowed in 2012.

"The council has great leeway in how it funds the library budget," Greene said, describing that the cut can range from anywhere between $71,000 to an increase of $400,790, the maximum 15 percent increase allowed.

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"Towns are never forced to cut public library funds or services if real estate values drop," Greene said, adding the library budget has been cut every year since 2009. "Their allocations do establish our community identity – what areas are they going to let thrive, what areas are they going to let wither?"

The library is the largest educator in the village, extends the school year and school day, and also promotes arts, culture and workforce training, Greene stressed in an interview late last week.

Some municipalities – like Livingston – allot hundreds of thousands more than required, while others – like Paramus – fund just the bare minimum.

No one expects an appropriation of $400,000 over the minimum funding level given the budgetary strains the council is facing, and the fiscal pinch in many respects mirror those of last year.

Council grappling with expected tax increases

Coming off a , the village council is grilling department heads on how they can reduce their sub-budgets to ease the growing tax burden. The message to department head can be characterized by two words: "expect cuts."

The first preliminary budget drafted by Village Manager Ken Gabbert – which did not include additional funding for the library beyond the minimum permitted – projected a tax increase at 7.57 percent, though officials expect that number to be reduced considerably in the months ahead.

The village's 2012 revenues are down, expenses are up and storms account for a $1.3 million shortfall. Any lower than a 4 percent tax increase essentially guarantees layoffs in Village Hall, officials have hinted.

Impact of 2011 closings

The council faced a similar dilemma with the library budget last year, electing to fund $35,000 of the library's $70,000 request. The allotment staved off additional closings, but still shuttered the facility for nine Sundays and three Fridays.

All staff took three furlough days, which has Greene worried over long-term impact in retaining and attracting talent.

Patrons too suffered, Greene said. Citing circulation figures, Greene said that in July of 2011 kids read 2,000 fewer books than they had the previous July due to five fewer openings. Coupled with a surge in program attendance at a 15 percent uptick level over that of last year, the library director said the demand on staff is increasing while head-counts are declining.

"When people talk about the library and the value of the library, they talk about it much more as an educational center and as a cultural center and a career center," said Greene.

For Greene, finding the money on the municipal side doesn't seem like an insurmountable task.

"You look at the total village budget and tell me they can't find $62,000?" she implored, adding that library staff salaries are going down ($60K), benefit packages are less lucrative for the librarian's union than village unions, and the privatization of custodial services and various room rentals and other fees will bring in about $25,000 in revenue.

Library Board of Trustee member John Saraceno said the board initiated contact with the librarian's union to open up the contract, but were rebuffed. The agreement ends at the end of 2013. Non-union salary increases for library staff will increase just under 2 percent, he said.

Either-or proposition? 

In recent council budget discussions spurred largely by Councilman Paul Aronsohn's concern, some officials and administrators have said if the library were to be given that level of funding, it would come at the expense of another department.

Those departments have taken hits in layoffs and delays in capital purchases, Village Manager Ken Gabbert said at the last meeting in March. About 30 staff were laid off or retired in 2010, and last year's budget was largely an acknowledgment the cuts were too deep.

Greene doesn't see the picture in the same light.

"I think it's nonsense to say, 'who do we cut from if we fund the library?'" Greene said, adding the council can also draw from the capital budget to fund the library because it's an exception to the 2 percent tax levy cap.

"They've been cutting from the library to fund other departments for years," she added. They've gone up 7 percent and we've gone down."

Both 2009 and 2010 were funded at the minimum level by the village

All budget discussions preliminary so far, Councilwoman Walsh says 

Aronsohn, who's vocally challenged starting with an assumed cut to the library for another year, said the village should be making the library a priority.

"It's inherently wrong to have other budgets go up except for the library," Aronsohn said in an interview, pointing to proposed increases at the Village Manager's Office and other departments. "Budgets are tradeoffs and a reflection of community values ... can we absorb a set figure like say, health insurance? If we can't, OK ... but the library shouldn't automatically be the first thing to be cut."

Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh, however, said concern over the 2012 library budget is far too preliminary.

"The council hasn't even discussed the library budget yet," Walsh said late last week. "We haven't even finished some of the other departments [budget requests]. I don't know where this is all coming from."

According to Walsh, she and other council members have already received e-mails and phone calls from supporters remarking the council doesn't support the library. 

"It's hurtful," she said, "because it's just not true."

Library officials are scheduled to present their request to the council on April 18.


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