The odd manner in which New Jersey funds its libraries has some communities up in arms. But the fixes on the table all seem to fall short of what needs to be done to protect public libraries while addressing the concerns of smaller towns like Jamesburg.
Current state law is tied to property value. Municipal libraries — those created by referendum and funded through local property taxes — get a minimum of one-third of a mill, or about 33 cents on every thousand dollars of equalized assessed property value in a municipality. Few had been concerned with the formula until the last decade, when property values across the state skyrocketed, driving up library funding at a time when the public has hit the wall on property tax hikes.
A tax levy cap imposed a few years ago exacerbated this conflict — towns saw their taxable value grow due without their real tax base increasing, which forced them to increase library spending; however, they were limited in how much they could increase their tax levy, meaning that library spending was eating into other programs.
Keep in mind, however, that the same towns spent much of the ’90s with stagnant tax bases. They took advantage of the lack of growth by keeping library spending static (or making cuts) and boosting spending in other areas, such as on police.
Obviously, towns like Jamesburg face difficult questions and it does seem that changes need to be made in how libraries get their money. But cutting the minimum in half, as the League of Municipalities is proposing, is foolish, especially with property values declining in many areas of the state.
A better solution would be to tie funding to population and to encourage the creation of larger regional libraries, such as the Mercer and Somerset County systems, but leaving the decision on whether to regionalize in the hands of individual communities.
Another solution would be to remove library funding from the municipal budget altogether. Municipal governments not only have little discretion over how much is spent on the library, they have little input into personnel decisions and day-to-day operations, aside from making appointments to an independent board of trustees. Make the library a separate line item on the tax bill that is tied to a formula and allow the libraries to raise additional money — as many do now — through the creation of foundations and friends groups.
The difficulties faced by municipal governments are real. But so are the concerns raised by library officials. A more creative solution has to be put on the table.
Hank Kalet 