A number of people over the past year, have been expressed their concerns about the future of Middletown's library, chief among them have been Randell Gabrielan and Linda Baum, who have warned repeatedly of the consequences that are now shaping up to take place, due to the Township's meddling in the affairs of the library and the raiding of it's funds. Library hours and services will soon be cut back, branches will be closed and possible employee lay offs could be starting next month or very early in the new year.Consider how important our library has been to our community and all the good it has done for Middletown, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it's a damn shame what's been happening to it and the fate that awaits it, starting tonight, at the monthly Board of Trustees meeting. Tonight, the Board of Trustees will be discussing the budget for next year and thus the fate of its ongoing operations.
According to the latest blog post by Library Director, Susan O'Neal (posted on the library's website yesterday) - Library Working on 2013 Budget - the situation seems dire:
...Some very hard decisions lie ahead, and the Board of Trustees will be discussing this budget, starting tomorrow night. The details are not available yet, but we're prepping for a budget with these facts at hand.
1. The budget from the Township, called the municipal appropriation, will be reduced by 3.84% to $3,470,977, or $139,407 less than the 2012 appropriation. The cumulative decrease is 20% in 4 years.
2.Of this, $1,333,493 is expected to be chargebacks to be paid back to the Township for payroll, health care and retirement contributions and insurance costs. That's 40% of the municipal appropriation for the library, and we haven't even written out what we need to spend for books. These chargebacks are $300,000 more than was requested in 2011.
3. The net change in the financial picture since July of this year is -MINUS $477,407. Some of you predicted this last year when the library transfered nearly $500,000 in reserve funds to the Township.
What is there that can be done by library supporters/patrons to try and head off potential service cuts or branch closures? Ms. O'Neal states in her blog post:
"...The budget discussion will take place in open session, of course, and, hearing your priorities will be helpful to us as it is decided what stays and what goes....
You can come to the meeting or send me your comments. All signed comments will be shared with the Trustees of the Library."
If you can't make it to tonight's meeting, you can send your comments to the Library Director via her email - soneal@mtpl.org
The Middletown Library system has often been described as the "Jewel" of our community, I hope that residents make themselves heard loud and clear, in order to head off or lessen the severity of potential budget and/or service cuts that seem imminent. The jewel has lost a lot of it's shine over the past 20 months, to allow it to be tarnish and grow dim any further would be wrong.
28 comments:
I'd like to make a couple of points:
First, the actual amount of money appropriated for the Library is based upon nthe total valuation of assessed property in town, so the Library can also expect to see a reduction in funding from the ffects of the storm on top of the effects of the revaluation that is hitting them this year.
Second, apparently the Library lags a few years behind the town in terms of the effect of the economy. The town was forced to layoff personnel in 2010 and 2011 and to severely limit pay increases and hiring since then.
Did the Library Board use foresight and expect that they might be looking at those same conditions and prepare for that - or did they continue to hire and give large raises to their already large staff?
Did they cut their discreetionary budgets or did they continue to attend out of state conferences with the taxpayers paying even for their meals?
Did they at least make certain that they weren't utilizing their reserves to pay for operating expenses - what we common citizens would call "living within their means," or did they play the grasshopper and keep on blindly spending even though they had to know that rainy days were coming?
Why did they decide to invest so much in making the Library a place where someone could borrow the CD to watch "Revenge of the Nerds" for free by spending the Library's savings?
These have been tough times for all of us, but how come the "old board" didn't take responsible steps? Don't we often hear that criticism of the TC here on MM?
How come no one is calling for a "forensic audit" of the Library budgets of the past few years? A look at the raises they have given, the hiring they have done, the expenses they had taxpayers pay?
There are many actual supporters of the Library, many bof whom have thought that the Library's finances were just peachy when they were spending down their reserves.
Then there are those like MM and Ms. Baum who it would seem pretend to care about the Library because they are a useful tool against the opposition party. It hasn't helped them during the past two elections, but it that apparently fake support may have led the Library Director into making irresponsible decisions and public statements.
Someone is going to have to clean up the mess at the Library and the new board will do that, I have no doubts.
No wonder the former members have slink away. They should be ashamed of what they let happen.
Legion...
You think that you have a point, and perhaps you do, but the point seems to only be on the top of your head.
You make unfounded accustions and assumptions that have no basis in fact or reality like another member of your machine-like political party who recently lost a pretty big national election, and like you, was repudiated by a large majority of Americans.
Large raises? That is a laugh. You show your vast ignorance on that one, bub.
The library has been audited by the Township multiple times, and have come out smelling like a rose, which is more than I can say for the Town Council.
Again, trying to project your sins on the innocent is another unscrupulous Republican tactic that always blows up in your face..so by all means, please keep doing it.
"Revenge of the Nerds"...?
The library doesn't even own it. You could check yourself by going to the library's online catalog, that it, if you even know how to do that. But many of Middletown's school children know how to do that because they learned how to at the Middletown Library since the Middletown School system is too cheap to provide libraries in many of the elementary schools. And they say that education is one of the top reasons why people move to a town such as MIddletown, but I'm sure that fact is lost on a luddite such as yourself, Legion...
Your arguments are so full of straw men and red herrings that it's apparent that you haven't spent much time in libraries, or in getting an education, either.
Someone is going to have to "clean up the mess at the library". Does that mean that the Mayor and his carpet baggin hatchet man from Secaucus is going to come with his hat in his hand to STEAL some more of the library's funds....
Where is this money going that the Township is supposedly saving it's taxpayers...
Is it going in to the well connected pockets of members of the TC on kickback night?
How about an audit of the TC...??
For that matter, how about televising the Town Council's meetings. Middletown must be one of the only towns in the State that doesn't do this on local cable TV. What are you hiding, Legion.
Why so hush hush..and on the QT...eh?
OF course, I don't expect you to answer these questions because you can only make unfounded accusations...and spurious lies. You don't deal in truths...its not your medium. I understand
The good for nothing REPUBLICANS in this town RUIN everything GOOD in this community in the name of politics. They ruin everything they touch in recent years .NUT JOBS,LEGION. THE LIBRARY WILL BE BETTER OFF IN THE COUNTY SYSTEM where there are reasonable,intelligent people in charge. The money will be better cared for ALSO !!
Is the latest development regarding funds precipitated by the need for funds to use again for municipal expenses? The hurricane has littered this whole community with the ravages that storm has wrought.
There are major ramifications in the Bayshore and there are mountains of brush and the remains of downed trees everywhere. This is going to require funding to clean up and there is no scheduled brush collections this fall....no money to do it.
Just a bit of a provoking thought now isn't it ??
Is destroying our library not also a provoking thought ??
It only took a very short period of this new "Board of Trustees " to run our library into the ground. Our TC is incompetent and it's about time the residents of this community woke up to that fact.
Our nation has realized the Republicans are not the party for the people and the Middletown Republicans are not the party for the people either. They represent only the wealthy top tier of our population. A far cry from representation of the middle class or the unfortunate amongst us.
It's time to defend what belongs to all of us and the Middletown Library is one of those things that must be defended against the tyranny in this town ! Our school system is another for the future of our children!
Legion,
Let's talk about what's REALLY going on here...
The Mayor and the Town Council want to steal from the library's coffers and de-fund the library to the point where it cannot function anymore, at least, not at the standard of excellence that it has achieved over the years.
And to think, that just a few short years ago, the Middletown Library was voted as the BEST library in Monmouth County by an Asbury Park Press poll....and the barbarians (the Middletown TC) are at the gates, and for what?
TO SAVE THE TAXPAYERS MONEY...???
Oh no,
What they won't tell you is that once they've ruined the library and shoved it into the Monmouth County system, where services will be watered down because any person who lives in Monmouth County can come and borrow and use the library as their own, since it will be, and the excellence that the former board and current library staff has achieved will be out the window.
Think you can't find parking now to use the library. Wait until the good residents of Keansburg, Hazlet, Union Beach, the Highlands, Holmdel, etc..etc..etc..come to use the library's services.
And I thought you guys were AGAINST big government?
ANd what about those savings for Middletown residents? Well..there will be NO savings, because the citizens of Middletown will still have to pay a higher library fee, but instead of going to the Middletown Public LIbrary, this money will go to MONMOUTH COUNTY, to do what they see fit with it!
So, it doesn't take a genius to realize that you are paying more money and getting less services and a lesser quality product, good people of Middletown.
And what about those millions (3-4 mil.) to be exact that currently goes to fund the Jewel of Middletown?
Is that going into someone's pockets on the TC as well? Is the Mayor and his hatchetman, Mr Settenbrino going to tell you where that money is going to go.
I think, NOT!
There is something that you can do about it, however, good people of Middletown..and that is to attend EVERY Library Board Meeting and Township Council Meeting and DEMAND some ANSWERS and accountability from these swindlers on confidence men that you keep electing..because people, that is that only way that you will keep them honest..and that is to DEMAND honesty..face to face.
It's time to demand some answers people, because there is something rotten going on in the town of Middletown...and believe me, it doesn't smell so good.
This Legion character or characters is from the slime and scum of what represents itself as government in this town today. What a charade !
With quality of life here on a downward spiral, it would probably head the list of the Money Magazine's list of worst communities to live in this year, if such a list existed.
This bunch of integrity challenged dopes don't know any better! They are sick with a fatal disease,self serving republican politics......
I notice that no one answered my questions, but simply attacked me.
Is that because there are no good answers to the questions?
The Library should pay for its employees, right?
They should live within their means, correct?
That they have not and are now facing the consequence of that is the fault of... who precisely?
>The Library should pay for its employees, right?
>They should live within their means, correct?
>That they have not and are now facing the consequence of that is the fault of... who precisely?
The library isn't the one living within its means, yet the township committee is the group taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the library's surplus to fix the fiscal mess they themselves made.
rmknoth 12If the TC was serious about saving money they would address the ridiculously high electric bill at the art center. Running the heat and air conditioning systems at the same time to deal with the humidity problem is the best solution their crony engineering firm could come up with. The bill is in excess of $100K a year. Why not take over that board of directors to reduce expenses? BTW, where are the improvements to the parking lot at the library the TC promised when they took the money the library had saved and set aside for the project?
Anon at 2:59
You should probably know something about the subject before you post.
The Library gave some of it's surplus back to the taxpayers in 2011 - not in 2012.
The problem in 2013 for the Library is that they have to live within the budget the money they get from the town allows -- and they can't -- their operating expenses are more than their revenue.
The fault for that lies primarily with the former Library Board and the Director. They knew that a decrease in available funding was coming and refused to act...
This "Legion" of characters are a bunch of dopes and they think everyone in this town lacks the intelligence to see through their stupid nonsense. We see the outrageous hypocritical behavior of a TC and administration that lacks integrity or honesty or capability.
The legion's barrel is full of rotten apples these days.
The fact is that the "old" Library Board did act in a fiscally responsible manner, saving reserves for exacly the need that exists today- a significant downturn in the economy.
The fact is that the Township took those reserves in 2011 by threatening the Board members who resisted.
The fact is that the "new" Library Board approved a budget for 2012 that utilized more library reserves to avoid cutting services to the public in 2012 probably because this was the prudent thing to do, and would be what the public expected.
The fact is that the Township billed the library in June for an additional $338,000 in unsubstantiated charges for Township services and the new Board, approinted by the Mayor, and containing only one holdover from the2011 board, accepted it without question.
The fact is that the library had to use $338,000 of its reserves to pay these charges this year.
The fact is that these charges are now considered to be annual ones and, according to a comment at the last Board meeting, are supposed to be discussed with the Mayor "soon."
The fact is that all library investments have been liquidated to cash to pay for 2012 and 2013 operating expenses and because these cannot be covered by a declining budget.
The fact is that library employees received 0 - 1%-1% raises in the last three years.
The fact is that most Township employees received an average of 2% raises this year.
The fact is that because of criticism by Township's elected and appointed officials, all of the library's programs offer to the public are paid by the Foundation- not from the library tax
The fact is that all staff training and professional development is paid for by State Aid and not from the library tax, and this amount has been significantly decreased over the past few years.
The fact is that a number of classes, workshops, meetings, etc for Township employees have been paid for by taxpayers in 2012.
The fact is that the library SERVES the PEOPLE of MIDDLETOWN, and has done so through good leadership and decision making.
The fact is that every single point made above is from a public document available to anyone.
Legion and others need to be reminded that their opinions of the library are just that. To suggest that they read up on the facts or sign their name to their comments is useless. The response should be simply to ignore them, which, as you have read above, I couldn't follow my own advice. But somewhere in this dialogue is a place for the truth.
Legion,
You need to follow your own advice about knowing "something about the subject before you post" and then make sure that what you post is accurate. Between 2009 and 2012 the library has given money to the Township and has had money taken by the Township. During one budget cycle the library gave about $70,000 to the Township. In 2011 and 2012 the Township took at least an approximate $500,000 dollars from the tax dollars dedicated to library operations. Settembrino was Fiore's hatchet man one year and Murray took on the role the following year. And, to make sure no one would prevent the taking of library dollars in the future (using false/cooked/manipulated numbers the Township Committee placed new members on the library board that they knew would do as they were told by the Committee. These new members/sheep lack the knowledge and skill and experience to do the job required; and, experienced board members sold-out in 2010.
For years and years the library ran well and was financially sound and when the 2% municipal budget cap was made law Fiore and crew had to sniff out other sources of revenue to stay within the tax levy cap. The $700,000 that the TOMSA Board (all active Republican Party members and former elected Republican officials) was a gift of sewerage fees with little public awareness of the fiscal slight-of-hand. The Township has had to sell revenue producing assets and dig deeply into surplus of its own over the last several years to balance the municipal budget and to cover out-of-control health care costs that have required emergency appropriations to cover these costs year after year after year.
The Township lacks elected officials that know how to manage and create a budget that works. The Township has lost its Top 100 Best Places to Live rating and within a couple of years it will see its S&P rating drop as well.
Anonymous 11/14 @9:28 p.m.,
What we need is a full blown investigation,not just an audit, of government in Middletown. There was a time one could be proud to live here....not anymore. We are governed by thugs and incompetents., political hacks void of conscience !
In a town where $2,000,000 was spent for two football fields and a tc that takes money from our library to balance their budget, well I guess one can see how screwed up the priorities of our
elected officials are.
>You should probably know something about the subject before you post.
Fly away, troll.
>The Library gave some of it's surplus back to the taxpayers in 2011 - not in 2012.
Good job refusing to acknowledge that the township committee has been hilariously inept at managing its funds and that they need to be bailed out through reappropriation for three years running. The library is the ant to the township's grasshopper, except in this case the grasshopper has the gall to tell the ant to stop goofing off as he raids the ant's stores.
Anon @ 10:24 does a good job of summarizing this issue.
The ~fact~ is that the township commmittee has been treating the library as a piggy bank while also holding some sort of bizarre grudge against it. For instance, last year the parking lot lights weren't functioning properly, and it was the township's job to fix it. Despite creating a dangerous situation, the township ignored months of pleas from the library director to take care of the problem. It wasn't until public complaints about the issue started rolling in that the township decided to lift a finger.
The same year that $500k was taken from the library's reserves, the township committee awarded themselves personal iPads paid with township money.
These budget issues are immediately following Sandy, when the library's computers, internet, and free programs provided an invaluable service to our ravaged township--that's in addition to the year-round services utilized by tens of thousands of people. It is completely and utterly foolish to even consider cutting back on these services after going through a natural disaster which proved their enormous worth.
Not to mention the frankly undemocratic behavior of the township regarding the library board, which had previously been independent but is now essentially directly controlled by the TC.
Not to mention that the institution is a jewel in Middletown's crown and has proudly served the township for decades.
Not to mention that hundreds of people have been directly helped by library staff in getting jobs during this recession, helping to bolster the township's economy.
Anon at 10:24 appears to be a former Library Board member. I guess attacking me with false "truths" assuages some of the guilt.
I do want to point out that the centerpiece of 10:24's post is the claim that "the Township billed the library in June for an additional $338,000 in unsubstantiated charges..."
That is an opinion, and an incorrect one at that. Ms. Baum posted those charges here and they look substantiated to anyone who can read. The fact that the Library had gotten away with not paying for it's employees in previous years is no excuse for not paying for them going forward, and that gets back to the free spending ways of the Gabriellan Board and Ms. O'Neal as being responsible.
And Anon at 3:25... That appears to be someone from Library administration... Too funny!
Yes, the Library did serve during the aftermath of the storm, and it's too bad that it has been so poorly managed in the past that now it faces cutting back on staff and services, but that again is the legacy of the Gabriellan Board and the managemnet of Ms. O'Neal. They knew cuts in funding were coming and did nothing about it.
I am sure that cutbacks and layoffs can be done responsibly, and I hope that the current LB will be able to manage them. There will be many ways to save costs and still provide the services that are needed by the town's citizens.
It's easy to claim to have a "jewell" if you overspend. The trick is to live within your means and still make it shine...
Anon 10:24 AM,
One of your "facts" is NOT a fact:
"Most" of the Township employees certainly did NOT get 2% raises this year. I don't know where you got that information but it's not true.
And that's a fact, Jack.
Speaking of township departments and boards and employee expenses for benefits, when do the part time political parasites on the Sewage Authority Board start to pay their own benefits....huh ?????
Providing these parasites with fully paid health benefits should be against the law and maybe it is today (grandfathered my $ss). None of them ever did anything to get benefits "for life" from the rate payers in this community.Not one of them unless they were full time employees covered by a labor contract language.
"Legion" of bad apples,you all are hypocrites !!
I think Legion is baiting everyone to vent their frustrations on this blog. What would better serve the public is to not respond here to her postings. Go to a library board meeting and query the puppets the tc has put in place to dismantle our library and vent your concerns to them face to face.
To Legion and the Machine Republican of the Middletown TC (and especially Peter Carton..)
Just because you tell a lie over and over again, it does not automatically become the truth. You seem to have come from the Joeseph Goebbels school of political argument.
Legion..you keep saying, "They knew the cuts were coming...", but cuts do to the declining home valuations are one things, and direct THEFT from the crooks on the TC is quite another.
I remember when the Mayor was here with his hat in his hand "asking" for the library to give back 1.2 million dollars to the TC because of a "shortfall" in their budget, and that he said then that he did "not want to attack or harm the library in any way."
Why was there such a "shortfall" Mr. Legion, if you knew the cuts were coming, eh? Mismanagement, perhaps..???
Not the TC seems hellbent on taking that money from the library and decimating the library's services and standard of excellence that it has developed over the years...
Is someone bitter, perhaps, on the TC because they only received 500k, and they are making up unjustified charge backs to the library, such as the 338k in 2012 in order to get their 1.2 million that they originally "asked" for?
Some angry, bitter, small minded carpet bagger from Secaucus, perhaps?
You say that the money in 2012 was "substantiated" but I here that nothing is further from the truth. Especially the fact that the library, "knew that this was coming". That is a lie of epic proportions...my friend. Something that your side is very good at--slander and lies.
The current library board had just rolled over and didn't question this "substantiated" thievery at all, and the Mayor will not respond to questions reqarding it either. So, something is very fishy here, so maybe someone should make it their business to find out what is going on. I've never seen a town so secretive about their activities in my life, and I've lived alot of years...
Is it possible that the TC sees the library as it's whipping boy and secretive slush fund for dipping into and robbing to cover up their own mismanagement and ineptitude?
I think the answer is obvious.
The question is, then, are the people of Middletown going to let their elected representatives get away with something as reprehensible as destroying it's own award winning library?
One of the few things that this town can point to with pride...?
I hope not...it's time for the people of Middletown to rise up and hold these people accountable for their actions!!
Legion,
"It's easy to claim to have a "jewell" if you overspend. The trick is to live within your means and still make it shine.."
Oh, so you attack the library for overspending? How much is the current fiscal deficit of Middletown? Perhaps you and the TC you support should practice what you preach...
Anon 9:51,
Just who is the "angry, bitter, small minded carpet bagger from Secaucus" ? I'm curious.
Middletown has it's own version of the "Mafia"....it's called the "Middletown Republican Township Committee" !
Anon 10:24,
"the Township billed the library in June for an additional $338,000 in unsubstantiated charges "
So now the people who work at the library don't deserve the pention that they have been working years to acquire? Should the library not have insurance? Should the library not pay unemployment or workers comp?
Is neglecting employer responsabilities the new pillars of the middletown democratic party?
See the chargebacks for yourself, I wouldnt exactly say they are unsubstantiated.
http://ia601209.us.archive.org/25/items/MiddletownTownshipChargebackLetter6712/DOC062112.pdf
The library is entitled to 20% over the current budget. The Township deserves to keep whatever the balance is. That is the law. Paying for salaries, health benefits and pensions should be part of that budget.
Very good site you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed here?
I'd really like to be a part of community where I can get suggestions from other experienced people that share the same interest.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Kudos!
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