Middletown Library Trustees Postpone Branch Closure Decision
But the board also gave formal notice the Navesink, Lincroft and Bayshore branches will be closed on March 1 -- unless a better solution can be found.
After hearing from passionate supporters of the township library branches at a public meeting Wednesday night, the 9-member Middletown Township Library Board of Trustees unanimously decided to postpone a vote on the 2013 budget that could have shut the Navesink, Lincroft and Bayshore branches next week. The issue will be discussed at the next public meeting on Feb. 20, after a newly formed committee takes a crack at alternative solutions, such as private fundraising, volunteers, reduced hours, or alliances with the Board of Education. But the very real possibility that a yearly $300,000 shortfall would not be easily raised by other means was reflected in a second motion to close the branches on March 1 "unless some other action is taken by…
Linda Baum
12:27 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Board members don't deserve compensation, and it doesn’t matter what public funding source they are paid from, whether it’s TOMSA’s budget or the Township’s. TOMSA is a public entity, so the revenue is public money. Many people are not aware that for each of the last three years, 2010-2012, TOMSA transferred about $370K a year to the Twp for tax relief. Money saved by not paying excessive … more ›