In following up Linda Baum's earlier post "Three Middletown Library Branches Likely Closing", at night's meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees meeting,December 19th, it was announced that the Navesink, Bayshore, and Lincroft library branches of the Middletown Library system would be closing as part of cuts to the library's 2013 budget. The move is in response to declining revenues and saves approximately $200,000 annually.
Residents who attended the meeting expressed concern that there had been insufficient coordination with schools, which develop curriculums with library resources in mind, and that little public input had been sought.
Closures are not expected to occur until after the Board's re-organization meeting on January 16th.
More on this later....
14 comments:
The closing of the three neighborhood library branches is very sad news to come out of last night's library board meeting. Yes, there will be financial savings, but the staff are on the higher level of clerical staff and will need to be relocated to the main branch. Many people who cannot get to the main branch will miss the convenience and personalized service that they receive at their local branch library. The Navesink branch has a rich history as the origins of the township library system and serves its community well. I suppose that the savings will be an asset, but it isn't always about money in the overall scheme of things. MTPL has loyal and dedicated patrons who have spent their entire lives using the library system and now are raising their children here to reap the benefits. What a shame that politics has to get in the way of a great library system with loyal employees and a great director.
$200,000 divided by nearly 70,000 residents equals $2.86 savings per resident per year. Hum.....is that really significant or just politics as usual?? That's $ 11.44 per year for a family of four.
What a joke !
Liars,liars,pants on fire .
Plus, the Port Monmouth branch serves a lot of low income residents who otherwise don't have internet access--another case of Republicans showing no concern for those less fortunate.
The only concerns these Republicans have is protecting the behinds of their party faithful and their donors and they don't care who they tread on in that endeavor.
They never care about the Bayshore or the less fortunate because the big donors live elsewhere in the township and not one TC member is from the wet side of this township.
The only real concern these Republicans ever have for low income residents is when election time is near and the Republicans need the votes of those people in the Bayshore areas. Never,ever has it been different and it never,ever will as long as the Bayshore residents fall for the crap they are fed by these integrity challenged politicians.
So let me guess, you would rather close the library on new monmouth road and keep the branches open?
That makes no $EN$E...
You can't ignore the simple fact that the Library has a budget set by it's allocation, which in turn is set by state law. They can't spend more money than they have to spend unless the TC allows them extra money by allowing them not to pay for the benefits their employees receive. To do that would mean that property taxes would have to rise to give the Library more money than their state allocation.
Also note that Anon at 11:03 a.m. is comparing apples and oranges. What difference does it make what the amount of savings divided by the number of residents is?
The fact is that the Library faces a large deficit and needs to cut costs and have found $200K of savings in closing the branches.
What are you talking about?
Anon 2:48,
They're closing the Lincroft branch too. Nowhere near the wet side of town. Actually home to many present and past committee members. So please don't go trying to single out bayshore residents as victims - Lincroft will be suffering a big loss too. I think this whole thing is ridiculous - the politics in this town is ruining things for everyone. Committee vs library, Democrats vs Republicans - just cut it out and start acting like grown-ups. Bicker, snipe and criticize, that's all they do.
The fact of the matter is that the wet side of town needs the branch more because of the economic issues,anon 8:30 p.m.. .that's the point but who cares?
This township needs a forensic audit of EVERY aspect of funding and until that happens,nothing this TC says will be taken for fact. The thug like conduct of the TC leaves no faith or respect for government in this community. NONE !!!
Don't like those comments? Well,the politics in this town HAS RUINED IT !!
Where will they waste the small savings from the library? On patronage ??
Legion,
It shows how petty this whole situation is and just what these Republican politicians are capable of without regard to the impact on the towns people.
Where are these creeps going to strike next?
You can bet this town will not make Money magazine's best places to live again because it would fail to qualify today.
Will the township be providing shuttle bus service ti the main branch so the kids can do research for school?
The Library has been budgeting responsibly for year by setting funds aside for this very time, when revenues are low. That is what budgeting is about. The Township would rather use the surplus the Library set aside than be responsible themselves. They are not the Finance Committee they have been professing to be for years.
Most of this TC follows the Scharfenberger expressed style or doctrine ......"budget by osmosis" !
I think one thing that really bothers people about the branch closings, even recognizing that declining assessments may have led to service cuts eventually, is the suddenness with which this has happened. Without sufficient advance notice and almost no opportunity for public input or early coordination between schools, community associations, PTAs, PFAs, parents and the Township, our options for addressing this situation are now more limited. For example, once branches are closed and materials moved, would efforts to maintain services -- like fundraising or volunteerism -- still be an option? Certainly not in the case of the Bayshore branch if the property is sold. Thus opportunities are lost, adding to the mid-year burden placed on schools that rely on library resources.
This situation is sadly reminiscent of past events. Too much continues to occur behind closed doors with notice being provided to the public only after decisions are made. I’m not sure why there appears to be so much resistance to including residents in the decision-making process. That is certainly our right, and it may do a lot to foster cooperation, ease criticism, and reduce the sting of a loss.
Linda,
The Republican machine in this town does not want interference from the people who live in this town in the decision making process. They run Middletown like their own "dynasty" and it's been this way for a long,long time (have resided here for nearly fifty years and seen much or all that has transpired here).
It is mortal sin to question this thug like gang. It's mortal sin to be anything but a puppet to their politics. If you are not a "republican" you are dirt. Democracy is something they do not understand in Middletown Township.
Post a Comment