Back on June 2nd the Asbury Park Press ran a story about how at the next meeting of the Middletown Library's Board of Trustees meeting on June 15th (this upcoming Wednesday), the trustees are expected to vote on a report that details the transfer of nearly $500K in surplus and reserved funds to the Township before it is sent on to the NJ State Librarian.
If the state librarian approves of the report, which could take up to 45 days and is not a given, the surplus and reserves library funds can be transferred according to state law to the township in order for it to be used in offsetting the municipal budget.
As stated in previous posts, the report has been the responsibility of Library Director Susan O'Neal to put together. The report needed to be rather complex and meet very specific standards, it will include demographic projections, a three-year technology plan and a three-year strategic plan for approval.
After having read the APP article about the report, I got the feeling that certain members of the Township Committee, namely Middletown's appointed mayor, Tony Fiore, doesn't trust the library trustees to do what's expected of them based on the following excerpt:
“I don’t anticipate any potential negative portrayals,” said Fiore of the report. “I am confident they will do what is in their best interests and in that of the taxpayers of Middletown.”
It almost seems as if Fiore expects Director O'Neal to somehow sabotage the report by adding something to it that would prevent the trustees to support it or the state librarian not to approve it, which would either delay the transfer of funds or kill the transfer all together.
I you ask me, I think Fiore is a little paranoid and has a bit of a Napoleon complex. Whether it is this issue or some other, he always has to inject subtle or obnoxious and veiled threats to make his points.
It's really arrogant and shows little class.
2 comments:
Nothing new from this group of UNTALENTED and obnoxious individuals that comprise the current TC and this administration. NOTHING NEW AT ALL !
The thug like behavior is abhorrent ...every last one of them.
NOT a bit of class in any of them !
At the town meeting on 6/6, Mr. Fiore made a comment about the library "doing the right thing". He has made that accusatory comment several times before. Assuming the library board again votes in favor of the transfer at their meeting on June 15th, a required step before materials can be submitted to the state librarian for review, who does Mr. Fiore plan to blame if the State gives this the reject stamp?? I’ve read that disapproval by the State is more the exception than the rule, but it happens. Remember that the State could take issue with the library reserve figure, where reserves were restricted and had to be un-restricted by the board by resolution in order to facilitate the transfer.
If a role of the state library is to see to the well being of local branches, I hope the state librarian hesitates. Allowing the transfer will only pave the way for yearly raids on the library by the town committee, whose members refuse to accept any responsibility for the town’s poor financial condition, even as revenues have steadily increased following one tax increase after the next. I wonder if the state librarian has the authority to require the formation of a finance committee as a condition of the transfer? Or better yet, what if the library board made that "request" on June 15th? Seems reasonable given the problems found as a result of the town’s 2009 audit. And if the town committee says no, and the deal falls through, who will Mr. Fiore blame then?
I encourage you all to attend the library board meeting on June 15th at 7 p.m. It's bound to get lively.
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