While Montclair Township councilors continue to warn residents about the dire budgetary decisions that will need to be made in 2011, one group of residents refuses to wait idly by to see what will become of their Bellevue Ave. Branch Library come budget season.
A group of 15 or so residents calling themselves “Save Our Bellevue Ave. Branch Library” continues to meet and discuss how they can keep the doors of the small library open through 2011 and beyond.
And persistency must have paid off, because on Monday evening Mayor Jerry Fried attended the meeting to listen and answer questions from residents about the fate of the library.
Because the mayor appoints the Library Board of Trustees and is a member of the same board, Sue Ridley said, “we see him as the linchpin between the town council and the decision that will be made for the library. We would like him to see how vibrant this group is.”
“I feel very positive,” said Ilmar Vanderer about having the mayor attend the meeting on Monday night. “I give him a lot of credit for doing it and I feel that the discussions are being elevated to a different level, which is always a good sign.”
“I’m here to listen more than speak,” said Fried. “This is a group of civic minded people who really want to help support the public library…so I’m here to offer whatever support I can. I think it’s more important than ever that I be more involved with the [Montclair Public Library] Foundation and groups like this.”
Before any discussion got underway, the floor was given to six students from the St. Cassian School, which is one of the 4 schools in the nearby area, to voice their own ideas about why the Bellevue Ave. Branch Library ought to remain open.
The six students from various grade levels were the top winners of the “Save the Library” essay contest at the school, and one of the prizes was to read their essays aloud in front of the mayor, their parents and the library group that evening.
The students who read their essays that evening were: Joel Bacha, Allyson MacConchie, Keillor Beckwith, Victoria Woznick, Caroline Gutowski and Pasqualina Chirichiello.
The library is a place of “mental nourishment,” said Bacha, and a safe place for students to wait for their parents after school. Taking away a library really says that the town does not take education seriously.
“It has always helped me in the past,” said Keillor, “and I hope it will help me in the future as well.”
It is a “serene environment” and a place where students of all ages can do their home work, meet up with friends or find a good book, said Chirichiello. If we close down the library, “we are destroying a history and a community.”
After the students read their essays, the group and Fried dove right into discussion. Among the topics discussed was the rumored $800,000 budget cut to the entire library system for next year’s budget.
Fried said that he believes township manager Marc Dashield’s temporary budget, which will be proposed this month, will include the recommended $800,000 cut. If the cut was approved, Montclair’s libraries would be funded at the state mandatory minimum.
Fried was quick to point out the reduction in funding would only be a suggestion to the councilors, who will subsequently debate over the final amount. However, Fried made no illusions about the economic albatross hanging around the township’s neck.
“At this point, the belt tightening and trimming has happened,” cautioned Fried. “Now it comes down to what services will be cut. It’s a pretty ugly picture.”
The issue we all face is coming up with $3.5MM in cuts to the Town budget.
It’s not about closing the Bellevue branch of the library, and indeed the Council, and the Mayor, have no power to keep the branch open or closed.
The Council will make a recommendation on cuts. How the library reacts to those cuts is up to the library board.
No one is doubting the value of the Bellevue Branch, just like no one doubted the value of the Montclair Arts Council, the Pre-K, and so on.
I admire the people who are speaking up about the value of these treasured institutions.
Unfortunately, there is a “law” here, namely the tax cap of 2%.
If we “restore” some, or all, of the $800,000 planned cut for the library, we’ll have to find it somewhere else.
And with the bulk of our spending in personnel, that will be the target.
Cary Africk
2nd Ward Councilor
This is sad. On so many levels.
So what’s the tally of cut funds so far, eh?
There is no apparent way to deal with the town’s budget crises until we reign in our education expenses. The School Board still quotes the approximately $6.5 million shortfall they face. But if the council instructs them to cut $10 million we can afford an arts council and a library. The school budget will not pass without the votes of the town council, ergo they have the power to control this situation. An immediate hiring freeze would be a good start. Secondarily, we must not allow any more teachers, administers, or clerical staff to go beyond the three year mark for automatic tenure.
Just curious, sanford. Will we dismiss all staff after 3 years and then replace them with new folks, and then do that again after 3 years, etc.? If so, please explain the savings.
Or, if we are to dismiss them after 3 years and NOT replace them, will we then have those who are already there take over their jobs as well?
To control costs we need a mechanism to offer reasonable teaching salaries and to lower the current median salary as much as possible. As long as the new employees are not tenured, they are a far more fungible commodity. I would prefer a policy of hiring adjunct faculty as needed. It would bring experience and expertise into the system at a much more reasonable cost.
ROC,
So far, the Manager has indicated he’s cut $70K for the MAC, and probably $130K from the pre-k. With a $3.5MM nut, that means he needs to cut an additional $3.3MM.
And if he does that, he gets us down to the cap. And given the exceptions to the cap, that means our tax increase, for the Municipality, would be about 4.5%. And that doesn’t include the costs of any refinancing of the municipal debt, which no one (other than me) seems to want to talk about. The refinancing on the table would add 2% to the overall tax bill, not just the municipal portion.
Next week the Manager has promised us his “recommended” budget. It will be interesting to see where the other $3.3MM is coming from.
Cary Africk
2nd Ward Councilor
In other words, we can continue to expect 5% annual increases. If not more. Because the council is only trying to hit the cap with the exceptions rather than actually trying to focus on the fact that the tax burden here is out of control.
So you would propose that the staff be replaced every three years.
Who would take these jobs knowing that they are to be dismissed in three years?
How would you get around the requirement that all public school teachers and administrators must be certificated? Would adjuncts have this certification? If so, why would they choose to work for three years at most, when they could go to other districts for a career?
Your plan has more than a few holes, I’m afraid. A revolving door at the schoolhouse does not seem like much of a solution for anything.
The debt refinancing will be 2 percent, plus the 4.5 percent for the budget (with it’s 2 percent cap)? Who did this math, Alice or the White Rabbit?
What’s the bottom line for a tax increase? It sounds like it will be 6.5 percent on the municipal portion. Is that what you’re saying, Cary?
Is no one is even considering a ZERO increase? It seems the frame work here is to just get away with the cap plus anything that can be added on. Does anyone on the council think these increases are driving people out of town or might be having a significant impact on property values and overall desirability of the town?
Is no one is even considering a ZERO increase?
Nope.
Does anyone on the council think these increases are driving people out of town or might be having a significant impact on property values and overall desirability of the town?
Nope.
I agree with you Jerseygirl, firstly we don’t need two libraries! Make the cuts and STOP THE SPENDING! We need some council members to step up and deal with this financial burden.
Its seems they just go around and around with the same old BS. Can’t wait to vote them out.
AND THEY WILL BE VOTED OUT.
I can’t say whether we “need” two libraries or not. But it is clear that keeping taxes down is not only not a priority, it’s not even on the agenda. The cap, plus the add on exceptions is the goal. A better goal would be a complete overhaul. Assume you can’t get anymore tax dollars. Assume there will be unexpected expenses.
The question is not “do we need two libraries?”. Unfortunately it’s “Can we even possibly afford two libraries?”
Grow some balls and get rid of it! If there are a dozen residents who are passionate about their library that is open one day a week, then have them write a check for the next year to support it.
Simple solutions in a complex time!
Next…
I think that the answer to “can we afford two libraries” is most emphatically “NO”.
I love libraries, and I think that they are important for a community. But with the sharing system that Essex and Bergen counties have, and with libraries in Bloomfield and Glen Ridge and Montclair State University and likely up to 10 other locations in a 20 mile radius, the coverage is pretty good.
In tough times, something has to go.
perhaps dj pauly could play a benefit for the library. We need to put his jerseyliciousness to good use.
Bebopgun….bad idea! I doubt DJ Pauly can read, so no credibility there! Who would come? All the other illiterates? Not enough room at that venue!
For those who want to cut the Libraries, there is a problem. There is an extensive local history collection that needs to be kept in a safe and secure place. Also, the Montclair Times Archives and Township Archives are there as well. The newly established Montclair Jazz Archives, which is a ‘Arts Research Archive’ is there. You can’t just throw this stuff to the wind. The present ‘Local History Room’ seems to be running out of space. So, to Laurialoonie, you are way off the mark here. I worked nearly three years to establish those ‘Jazz Archives’ and will fight to keep those archives for being put in jeoperdy. Also, did you know that the Montclair Times Archives are crumbling as we speak. So…what do you think should be done? Here is my proposal, I also sent Councilor Cary Africk this suggestion. Rent the first floor and have the second floor for library use. If that building is sold, the township will regret it later. We kmow what happened to GROVE STREET SCHOOL. If the library can find a way to rent the first floor, and use that money to put back into the budget of the library, maybe that will help keep it open. But…if they decide to do that, all of the money they make off of a possible rental situation must be returned to that particular operation expense part of the library budget. NO EXCEPTIONS! Then maybe that will help keep that building open. Remember, once you sell it! its gone!
Bruce, I don’t think anyone “wants” to cut libraries. And most people would agree that selling the library is a bad idea. But the town is saddled with a lot of debt and the way real estate values are going, I suspect many many more people will be able to get their tax bills lowered which is going to continue to drain revenue. The town has huge financial and management problems and right now having two of anything appears to be luxury, with or without archives.
The issue isn’t one library or two. The issue is the amount of spending. And I don’t think buildings should be sold, but they could be leased out.
Right now the Manager is proposing to cut $800,000 from the library funding. Last year people went berserk after a cut of half that. I do believe $800,000 would drastically effect the operations, but how they achieve that cut, or any cut, is up to the library board.
Cary Africk
2nd Ward Councilor
Cary…what is Montclair’s library budget compared to that of other neighboring towns? And is being on the board a paid position?
“fee for service”. If you want to use the library, you’ll have to pay. Just like pools, sewers, parking, everything else. And, Cary – please do your best to work toward budget savings from the big item, education. Don’t let discussions about “two versus three pools” amble on .
jersey,
Being on the Board isn’t a paid position, although some staff on the library foundation, the fund raising unit for the library, are paid. In fact, years ago as I’m told, an executive search firm was hired, twice, to find a library foundation director. At a purported cost, twice, in excess of $100K.
Comparing libraries is difficult. If you just look at expenses and town population Montclair probably spends $1MM more than Bloomfield, for example, with Bloomfield having 10,000 more people.
Mind you if I said this in a public forum (as I have) people would jump up and say (as they did) BLOOMFIELD???? BLOOMFIELD??? Have you ever been to the Bloomfield Library? How can you compare us???
But there are “measures” of what a library is doing, the simplest being circulation in which Montclair excels. Then there’s programs and other resources. Again, areas in which Montclair excels.
While some seek to do comparisons (I do) others find the Montclair Library “incomparable” and resist any efforts to compare. Yet I’m sure there are “some” libraries, somewhere, that we can compare ourselves to. We should.
Who knows, maybe we need a library consultant! And before you jump all over me, remember that the BOE hired an expensive consultant on special ed and the thought is that his programs will save the BOE MILLIONS.
All that being said I do find the library to be extraordinary. The question is “Can we supply the extraordinary services in a more cost efficient manner?” and if not “Can we afford all the extraordinary services?”
Cary Africk
2nd Ward Councilor
Why are we running special education if we need a consultant to run special education? Fire the dummies who need the consultant and hire the consultant to run the program.
Honestly. Cant we hire people qualified to run the various departments of the township?