Effort To Save Library Branches Gets No Action From Township Committee
Elected officials tell residents that they have no control over the Library Board's potential decision to close the Navesink, Lincroft and Bayshore branches of the township library system.
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Middletown residents who are urgently seeking to stop the shutdown of the Navesink, Bayshore and Lincroft library branches came to the Township Committee meeting room Monday night hoping for assistance, but checked out empty-handed.
Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger, 2012 mayor Tony Fiore and former Library Board Commissioner and Committeeman Kevin Settembrino listened to the ideas, outrage and pleas from community members, but repeatedly suggested the campaign belongs in front of the Library Board, because the governing body has no role in its decision.
"We want to have an open dialogue," said Michael Winchell, the advocate for the Navesink Library Branch. "We're asking for your engagement."
Winchell had come to the meeting not to spar over the hotly contested financials that prompted the township to issue a detailed statement about the library funding situation earlier in the day, partly in response to opinion columns and comments on Patch, but to make the point that the branches serve as beloved community centers in the 60-mile square township, and anchor distinct neighborhoods.
He said that a committee of citizens wants to propose the idea of keeping the branches open at reduced hours, and one shared full-time librarian, on a $100,000 budget -- one third of the current allocation and staff.
He asked if the township's financial experts could help review the balance sheets to find the funding, because if a solution is not found by Feb. 20, the branches are scheduled to close on March 1. The potential closures are noted on the MTPL.org website.
"This is a new [library] board, not equipped to deal with an austerity budget," he said. But the elected officials said the board had the benefit of professional guidance from its executive director and attorney.
If allowed to close, the Lincroft branch would revert to the Middletown Board of Education, the Navesink branch would return to the Duryea-Navesink Library Association, and the Bayshore branch in Port Monmouth would be under the township's control because it is a township building.
Superintendent of Schools William O. George said that the library branch situation would be one of the issues discussed at a shared services meeting with the township, to be held sometime before Feb. 20. Both the Navesink and Lincroft branches are situated near elementary schools.
As for the Bayshore branch, Township Administrator Tony Mercantante said the township understood that the residents of the storm-ravaged section of that part of town have a special need for computer and Internet access.
Though no official decisions have been made yet, the township could decide to utilize the two-story structure for township offices.
"This has already been discussed: If we do decide to use it any way...we would continue to utilize that buiding and we would make computer terminals available to the public -- no matter what we decide to use it for," said Mercantante.
bd
12:56 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
People still expect extra services in Milhous's Amerikka----LOL
Close them, save our tax $$$$.
LGA
1:04 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
If you want to keep the branch libraries, then make those people pay a membership fee and see how many people REALLY want the libraries when they have to pay for it. Just like families pay for other town recreational facilities like little league, soccer, arts center programs, recreation and such.
07748
1:04 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
I read the "detailed statement" the mayor had sent via twp. email to the residents. In paragraph two it says of the Library Board, "It is an autonomous body with the power to spend funds allocated."
Webster defines autonomous as:
Definition of AUTONOMOUS
1
: of, relating to, or marked by autonomy
2
a : having the right or power of self-government
b : undertaken or carried on without outside control : self-contained <an autonomous school system>
3
a : existing or capable of existing independently <an autonomous zooid>
b : responding, reacting, or developing independently of the whole <an autonomous growth>
So after reading the definition of autonomous we can see that the twp. comm. is not adhering to its claim of the board being autonomous. The twp. comm. has stacked the board with its appoinments who will do what the twp. comm. wants. Hardly autonomous.
Legion
1:04 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The "financials" aren't "hotly contested" at all, unless you count the lies, distortions and complete misunderstanding that is being spread about them. The CFO provided the Library Board with a letter outlining the chargebacks and they accepted them. Like I've said, those with an axe to grind have been spreading nonsense, but facts are stubborn things.
It's too bad that The Patch apparently wants to add to the controversy by joining the ranks of those who spread such rumors...
Pilgrim
11:11 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
When the message is accurate and grounded in fact that focuses unbiased light on an effort to keep the audience in the dark, then an often used tactic is to try to destroy the message and its impact by attacking the messenger -- this usually happens when the message rings true for those that hear it.
A "letter outlining the chargebacks", emphasis on "outlining", is not the same has providing a detailed accounting of the chargebacks item by item and employee by employee. The chargebacks that were accepted by the Library Board were accepted by a mostly newly appointed board that had limited financial experience; where the membership majority had limited exposure to a broad array of library issues. The experience level was so limited that an attorney was hired to guide the members through board meetings, which created an ongoing cost in 2012 and again in 2013 that had not been part of the budget in prior years.
Legion
1:38 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Hey, 07748, the Township Committee appoints the members of the Library Board. You do understand what that means, right? It means that - with the lone exception of the School Superintendents Appointee - ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE LIBRARY BOARD ARE THERE BECAUSE THE TC APPOINTED THEM, How "stacked" is that, right?
I mean, come on! LOL
07748
3:09 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Pretty obvious how stacked it is.
Pilgrim
11:11 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
I can't interpret for 07748, and the very fact that the Township Committee appointed all but one member of the Library Board IS evidence that the Township Committee exercised this power after the Committee was comfortable making the appointments it made because the Committee was CONFIDENT that it could INFLUENCE the Library Board to act in support of the Township Committee's financial agenda. I wasn't until the Township Committee faced serious shortfalls in revenue from traditional sources (property taxes and fees and grants), while trying to stay under Chris Christie's 2% tax levy cap, that the Committee created a strategy to poach revenue from the Library to supplement the dollars that the Party's loyal appointees at the Sewerage Authority were willing to contribute from the fees collected mostly from Middletown residents. So, the Township Committee added the established "stacked" Sewerage Authority to the newly "stacked" Library Board for a winning hand for the Township Committee and a losing hand for library patrons and Middletown property tax payers.
Pilgrim
9:01 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
How many employees received 6% increases; what what dollar amount (total and per employee) did the 6% translate into; when (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, etc.) was the increase implemented; what prevented the Township Committee from commenting on the 6% increase when the increase was implemented; was Pam Brightbill the Mayor's appoint at the time of the 6% increase; who was the Mayor's appointee at the time of the increase; how does the dollar amount of this increase compare to increases that were given to individual Township employees during the same time frame; how do the increases given to the Library employess compare to the most recent (2012 and 2013) salary increases given to Maggie O'Brien, Tony Mercantante, etc.?
Legion
11:11 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
You sure have a lot of questions Pilgrim -- most all of them irrelevant. The Library has a big (I think $400K+) shortfall in this year's budget. To help close that gap the Library Board decided to close the branch libraries in order to keep the main library at 100% of staffing and materials. Some object to that board's decision.
Do you have anything to say to the actual topic of discussion here?
Pilgrim
7:36 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
View the video posted with the Patch article. Scharfenberger notes and criticizes the 6% increase without commenting on the individual and gross dollar cost. Since the library implemented the salary increases Scharfenberger and others on the Township Committee have criticized, it is reasonable to have a finer understanding of what they are criticizing and it is reasonable to compare the Committee's actions regarding salary increases, to the action taken by the Library Board. The library shortfall is at least equal to the amount of money that the Township Committee took from library surplus, and then some. If the Township hadn't poached the money from the Library, the dollars would be available for the 2013 budget.
The topic of discussion is anything that appears in the Patch article on the Library as well as the Township's actions regarding the Library, the Townships management of the Library Board and the taxpayers who finance township and library operations. What do you think the topic of discussion is?
Gary Junstrom
7:36 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Why is this even an issue? Hardly anyone uses these outer branches. Close them and get on with the important business of rebuilding the shore.
Pilgrim
7:36 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Regarding Scharfenberger's closing comments: Year after year after year, the Library Board oversaw the operation of the Public Library. Then there is a significant recession and the revenue pool (taxes, fees, grants, township budget SURPLUS) for the Township Committee starts to dry-up and all of a sudden the Committee decides to exercise its "fiduciary" duty regarding the Library Board -- a board that was operating with a surplus that exceeded one million dollars; a surplus that was to be used for planned capital improvements, or operating expenses in hard times.
And, someone needs to OPRA the documents for the "first class airline ticket" and "Chris' Steakhouse receipt" that Mayor Gerry 'finance by osmosis' Scharfenberger referenced in his closing remarks. There may be some readers that remember that the last time Scharfenberger was up for re-election he was accused of "mendacity" by the editorial staff of the Asbury Park Press for failing to tell the whole truth. I wonder if his tendency for mendacity has any linkage to his statements about a first class airfare ticket and a meal (possibly a hamberger or a salad) at an expensive steakhouse?
jerseyswamps
7:36 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Howell is bigger than Middletown in square miles. They have one location for their library.
Legion
7:36 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Pilgrim, you make a lot of accusations. Let me ask you this - who else could have appointed members to the Library Board? And since this is the responsibility of the Township Committee, why wouldn't they appoint board members they could trust? This line of thinking doesn't make much sense. It's kind of like saying: "Pilgrim posts his own thoughts on message boards... A-HA!"
If you don't like who is on the Library Board, get yourself (and two of your friends) elected to the Township Committee. Then you can "stack" the Library Board with your favorite members.
And as far as the letter outlining the chargebacks? I'm sorry if you can't understand simple math. The CFO explained them very well and clearly. Luckily the Library Board WAS able to understand (they even negotiated a decrease for 2013). Maybe you should leave this to those who can follow along...
bd
12:27 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Yeah but----math is hard!!!!
07748
7:24 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Time to do the math on the arts center and see how it is bleeding our tax dollars.
Legion
9:14 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
07748, I agree with you there, but don't equate the Library and the MAC because one has a $3.4 million annual revenue source and one does not, so they represent entirely different situations. How much does the Senior Center cost taxpayers every year? The Tonya Keller Community Center? Certainly tax dollars spent on recreation need to be assessed, but the Library is quite different.
07748
9:05 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Obviously our legislators understand the importance of a Free Public Library System by enacting a funding mechanism. For this town to have spent millions of dollars on a building that was ill suited to be converted into an arts center has proven to be a major financial disaster. A few years back the Independent newspaper quoted the then twp. administrator as to the cost of the art center. I believe the number he stated was 9 to 11 million dollars. The debt service, utility costs, salaries for this project are draining tax dollars to please a very small group of residents. I am not opposed to the idea of an arts center but this project was never well thought out and is costing us far more than the library or the recreational programs you mentioned. Soon the taxpayers will learn how renting out Croydon Hall will not be the windfall of income for the town we have been told it would be.
Tony
11:12 pm on Saturday, February 9, 2013
There are a lot of interesting facts here in this discussion. Has anyone a justification for the $500,000.00 that was transferred from the library to the township, I believe it was in 2011?