Monmouth County Library System in Trouble?

According to an article posted on NJ.Com, it looks like Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley wants to do to the Monmouth County Library system what Tony Fiore and the cronies here in Middletown have done to our library, which is to systematically disparage and cripple it to the point where a few individuals speak out and confront its leadership about the extravagant cost in tax dollars it takes to operate the library and then accusing its administrators of neglect and mismanagement of funds. All of which then leads to the threat of to defund the library, take its surpluses and get rid of (fire or lay-off) those that oppose them, all in the name of budgetary austerity.

From NJ.Com:

The Monmouth County Library system continues to modernize and expand, but the cost is alarming some residents and officials.

The Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a $13.6 million tax levy to help fund the libraries’ $19.2 million budget, but not without protest from one member.

“I am very much concerned over these expenditures and how the library needs to reign itself in,” Freeholder John Curley said.

Curley said the library was on the path to fiscal insolvency.

“There has to be a drastic overhaul of the library system,” Curley said. “It can’t sustain itself. In 2014 at this rate the library’s bankrupt. I hope this plan can be incorporated.”

Monmouth County Libraries Director Ken Sheinbaum demurred, arguing that the system is a paragon of how to do more with less.

"Our library is among NJ's large public library systems and by a substantial measure the most efficient," Sheinbaum said. "Based on the number of circulations that each full time employee is responsible for, our employees are doing twice as much work as some of our sister institutions, and that was before we had a cut. It presents an exciting challenge for us to see how long we can maintain services on the level... while at this point losing eight percent of our staff over the past eight months."

Though the library's budget has decreased around $650,000 from 2012 levels, the gap between the library’s budget and its tax levy has increased. That shortfall been filled over recent years by Monmouth County’s surplus funds – this year, almost $6 million will be spent keeping the library solvent.

Sheinbaum said the money will come out of the system's fund balance.

"It is a library surplus, the library operates on a dedicated tax," Sheinbaum said. "We don't rely on the county to make a contribution, we take that from our own reserve." ...Continue reading.

I suppose if you're a Middletown Library supporter and advocate the good news is the Middletown Library won't be changing hands anytime soon no matter how much Fiore wants to destroy it.

THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY BUDGET IS A LIE

By Randall Gabrielan

The proposed budget of the library is filled with excessive charges by the township that are the root of the library’s current fiscal problems, the consequence of efforts by the township committee to take library funds for their use. I focus on one issue where I have expertise, casualty insurance. The township is charging the library a greatly excessive share of its overall largely self-insured costs using a percentage that is much in excess of the library’s share of the risk. Take workers compensation, an insurance that is easily rated for its standard costs which are essentially relative to the type of employment covered. Office and library workers are rated lower because they generally incur fewer and less severe claims. Police and public works employees take higher rates to recognize their typical and greater incidence of claims. Calculating a standard cost to start the process would produce a much lower figure for the library. Later modifications from overall experience is a legitimate practice.

Liability insurance, probably not by coincidence, was charged the same percentage for a coverage where the library would likely have an even lower share of the total risk. Libraries, which have few accidents and claims, take low rates while a municipalitiy’s liability charges are greater for streets and police operations. Take automobiles for example and compare the library’s two vans with the great number of vehicles elsewhere in the township. The charge to the library is a typical example of the township seeking to take money for itself that belongs to library operations.

Branch closings would produce smaller savings than the township would imagine because higher paid branch employees would after returning to the main library could result in the termination of the lowest ranking employees in their class. However, much of what the township claims about library funding, when not false, is specious. Take the equalized valuations that are the start of library funding. While it is true that when values decline, statutory library funding declines. However, the township can adjust its tax rate, but the library can do nothing about valuations. Thus, the township is taking from the library funds governed by law to subsidize its own budget. The township committee lies by claiming the board previously “overspent,” this their excuse for not having started earlier its raid on library funds. The statutory, property values based appropriation is a minimum for libraries while municipalities that choose to provide adequate support have in the past appropriated more, a practice admittedly in decline in today’s fiscal environment. In addition, had the library retained its surplus, built largely from non-public funds, it would have been able to weather the present fiscal crises. In short, whereas the former board built a great library, with fine support from former township committees, support that was readily and publicly acknowledged, the present township committee seeks to dismantle that library system.

Correspondents to this site, typically anonymous cowards, will attempt to discredit my words in view of my departure from the board over a perceived trifling offense, one buried ambiguously in statute, one that requires a 17 page decision to understand fully, an offense comparable to driving a mile over the speed limit, a book sale practice with minor proceeds that was on-going for over 10 years without objection by the township’s purchasing department. Oddly, they seek to charge for purchasing activities that could be more effectively handled by the library. Well, effectiveness in township operations was never the issue.


Randell Gabrielan is the former president of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees

Video: Middletown Library Board of Trustees Meeting 7/18/12

Last week's posting "Library Board Approves $338K Transfer Of Funds To Township At Last Night's Board Meeting; Former Board President Gabrielan Speaks Out" has garnered 27 comments thus far. I'm sure that if people take the time to watch this video of the 7/18/12 Middletown Library Board of Trustees meeting more comments will be forthcoming.

Two minutes into the video the Board opened the floor to public comments, it was then that former Board President, Randall Gabriellan, addressed the Board and wondered why they were not doing their due diligence in supporting the Library in which they oversee.

Linda Baum followed Mr. Gabrielan, she pointed out that the increases and chargebacks that the Township of Middletown was requesting the Library reimburse the township for were inaccurate and they should be questioned and reviewed by the Library Board before taking them at face value.

The Board later approved the transfer of funds requested by Township without questioning how the new figures were derived.



Here is the meeting agenda for the 7/18/12 meeting and the minutes from the June meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.

Presidency of Middletown Library Board sought by new Board member; Proof of Politicalization

By guest blogger Linda Baum

Last Wednesday’s Library Board meeting (1/18/12) started at 7:00 p.m. and ran over four and a half hours. This was the first meeting of the new 9-member Board, five of whom are new appointees.

Sixteen members of the public attended the meeting, in whole or in part, and it was a veritable “who’s who” of the Republican Party. Among others, there were Committeeman and former Library Board member Kevin Settembrino, Committeeman and Deputy Mayor Steve Massell, Emil Wrede (TOMSA Board), James Hinkley (TOMSA Board), Tristen Nelsen (former Township Committee candidate), and some others sitting with them. I caught what I can only describe as “knowing” glances that told me many there were not strangers to each other. I leave to you to decide whether their purpose in attending was to support, to intimidate, or simply to be informed.

There were some regular folks at the meeting, too – we were discernable by our much more casual clothing.

Things began on a cordial note, with introductions and brief backgrounds. That was followed by a discussion of expenses and service contracts, which I’ll address in a separate post. Overall, the new Board members were very critical of Library operations, even accusatory.

When it was time for the election of 2012 officers, Ms. Sherry Miloscia presented the Nominating Committee’s recommendation of Mr. Randall Gabrielan as president, Ms. Vivian Breen as vice president, and Ms. Marjorie Cavalier as treasurer. There was no recommendation for the office of secretary because the original nominee, Ms. Rachel Raymond, the School Superintendent’s alternate for the prior year, was not reappointed to the Board for 2012. Ms. Miloscia found that out just five days before this meeting and had then contacted new Board member Lawrence Nelsen to offer him the role of secretary, but he turned it down, saying he didn’t feel qualified.

Committeewoman Stephanie Murray took issue with the use of a Nominating Committee – commonly used by many boards – and was fast to make her own nomination when informed that taking additional nominations from the floor was routine procedure. She started right at the top, recommending newcomer Lawrence Nelsen for president. She turned to him and said, “Would you do it? Would you do this?,” as if it had never been discussed. He agreed, of course, and didn’t seem surprised, but many of the public attendees were amazed at the audacity.

Ms. Miloscia asked Mr. Nelsen why he felt qualified to be president when he said he didn’t feel qualified enough to be secretary. Mr. Nelsen denied saying that. “Yes you did,” she replied.

Ms. Murray felt that a person with a financial background should be president -- Mr. Nelsen is an accountant. Others pointed out that the treasurer's position would be a good place for an accountant concerned with finances to start. The treasurer’s position was available, but Mr. Nelsen wasn’t interested in it.

The reasoning that the Board needs a president with financial experience is not supported if you consider that the Library Board drafted and approved a budget that, despite a reduction in the Township appropriation, still managed to maintain services, employment and most materials.

Something I think was being overlooked is that Board membership provides each trustee the opportunity to oversee operations, whether that person is an officer or not. That participation is precisely the reason given by the Township for expanding the Board.

New Board member Michael Convery asked, “Why do you think Larry can’t be president?” The experienced Board members explained that the position of president requires a lot of knowledge and a lot of time, and that the need to provide guidance to an inexperienced person would put an unfair burden on the Library Director. The many answers and lengthy explanations Ms. O’Neal was required to provide to the new members at this Board meeting is evidence of that.

In short, having an inexperienced person as Board president could hamper Library operations. Therefore, the new trustees did not appear to be acting in the best interest of the Library.

It was suggested that the new members could consult with any respected source, including the New Jersey Library Association, and would be told of the importance of experienced leadership.

I wondered what the president’s rights and responsibilities are that made the position so sought after. I have been provided this explanation:

The president is the first among equals as the Board's link to the Director on situations where library operations meet library policy, which is set by the Board. The president is the primary Board source for the Director on matters of economic, political, social, employment and legal concerns that impact the library. It is important that the president recognize and honor the distinction between the Trustee’s role of oversight and the Director's role of management and that the president not attempt to interfere in library operations. In order to fulfill this role, it is essential that the president be knowledgeable and experienced in these matters, qualities that have become even more important in today’s challenging environment.

Also, I am told that the president’s role at meetings is similar to the mayor’s -- he sets the tone and guides discussion but has an equal vote.

Ms. Breen pointed out to Ms. Murray that she would not expect to be mayor her first year as a committeewoman. She replied, “No, and I wouldn’t want to,” but seemed to miss the point that Mr. Nelsen was too inexperienced to be president.

The new Board members expressed concern about Mr. Gabrielan’s length of service as president, made reference to the size of the budget, and fell just shy of accusing him of wrong doing. The criticism was unfounded, in my opinion. It was an unfair attack on the character of a man who is well-regarded as a dedicated servant. But that accusatory tone underscored the meeting. Later on, Mr. Nelsen twice referenced Bernie Madoff. That comment offended many of us.

The new members also expressed some frustration with the materials they were provided and felt some information was missing. That drew a sharp response from the others, who asked what they were referring to. The Library Director did her best to explain the information provided and some differences between business in January and the other months of the year.

A woman sitting near me who was a former library employee felt strongly that the problem was that the new Board members were unfamiliar with library operations.

It seemed to me there was a lot of posturing going on by the new members. Last year the Library was villanized, and it seems the stage is being set for that again. I am reminded of that saying that the truth of an accusation doesn’t matter because the damage is done when the accusation is made.

Perhaps in an attempt to quell the accusation and argument, Ms. Breen suggested making Mr. Nelsen vice president. I thought that was a generous concession considering his lack of experience with library matters.

Mr. Convery asked if the election of officers needed to take place right then and was told that there was a need to have officers in place for financial matters and for continuity of operations. The Library’s by-laws call for elections at the January reorganization meeting because terms expire then. (Note that the Township Committee elects its officers in January as well.)

In the end, Mr. Gabrielan was elected president by a vote of 5 to 4. The four new Board members voted as a block for Mr. Nelsen. The deciding vote for Mr. Gabrielan was cast by new Board member Cynthia Wilson, the School Superintendent’s appointee.

While Mr. Convery said that his reason for wanting to delay the vote was to get to know people before voting, I wonder if that was his motive. Had the vote been delayed until the end of the meeting, for example, the outcome would have been different because two of the Board members who voted for Mr. Gabrielan didn’t stay for the whole meeting. Those early departures, at this meeting or any future meeting, change the make-up of the Board. Late arrivals or absences would have the same effect.

After the debate over the presidency, the other officers were selected quickly. Mr. Nelsen was elected vice president; Ms. Cavalier was elected treasurer, and Ms. Breen secretary – each held the same post last year.

As vice president, Mr. Nelsen will run meetings in the absence of Mr. Gabrielan, who has had a near perfect attendance record. Also, the VP title puts Mr. Nelsen in line for the presidency in 2013, when he is certain to get it because the new Board members will have the five votes they need next year with the Township’s replacement of Ms. Miloscia, whose term expires at the end of this year.

With one more voice, the Township’s new appointees will be able to elect to any office any candidate they choose, award contracts as they choose, make employment decisions, and unrestrict any amount of Library reserves for Township use.

A Few Words About Middletown's Reorganization

Just a quick word about Sunday's Middletown Reorganization meeting being held at Town Hall @ noon.

Seeing how the Middletown Republicans have already "leaked" their intentions to reappoint Tony Fiore as Mayor and Steve Massell as Deputy Mayor, I have to wonder why?

Steve Massell is up for reelection this year and historically (thought not always the case recently) , the person on the Township Committee seeking reelection is appointed mayor, but I guess, seeing how Massell hasn't made more than a handful of public comments during his 2+ years of tenure on the Township Committee and often seems as if he doesn't want to be up there on the dais, and if you take into consideration the rumor that has been circulating for the past few months about how Massell doesn't intend to seek reelection anyway after his current term expires at the end of 2012, the Republicans couldn't appoint him mayor.

Why reappoint Tony Fiore as mayor than?

I suppose it must have more to due with Fiore's abrasive, arrogant and cocksure personality than the actual job he did representing the Township as the committee's mouthpiece.

Beside, who else could it be?

Gerry Scharfenberger? No, I don't think so. He is too much of a polarizing figure and is a lighting rod that has attracted too much controversy over the years. Governor Christie wouldn't want his favorite employee in the spotlight taking away any of the attention from himself while making a run to be either Mitt Romney's Vice -Presidential or possible his candidate for U.S. Attorney General.

Kevin Settembrino? After his snake-in-the-grass performance doing the Township Committee's dirty work of threatening the Middletown Library Board of Trustees to turn over nearly $500K of surplus and reserved funds or else the Middletown Library system would be over to the County and all the while pitting the Library Board against the Middletown Police, saying that if the funds weren't turned over the Middletown Library would be solely responsible for Police layoffs. Settembrino didn't make many friends in his first year on the Committee to say the least, but next year will be his year to shine as mayor.

And of course there is just no way Stephanie Murray could have been placed in either position in her very first year.

So Tony gets to be mayor again by default.

Also, I would like to thank all of those who will be appointed and reappointed to the various board and commission sponsored by the Township, most are volunteers and give of themselves freely to help out others and regardless of how partisan the process of their appointments are they deserve to be thanked.

Purpose Of Proposed Ordinance To Expand Middletown's Library Board Is Questioned

Dear Mike,

As an advocate of our excellent Middletown Township library system, I am very concerned about the ordinance being presented at Monday's (12/19/11) Township Committee Meeting regarding the addition of two Library Board members. This ordinance allows for the current seven member Board to be expanded to nine members as appointed by the mayor and his governing body. One Board member is the school Superintendant's alternate pick (and therefore not chosen by the Township Committee).

Some may see this ordinance as a well intended gesture to “increase public participation" in the Library Board decision making process. However, based on the events of this past February, I am skeptical that the addition of two members is anything but a political move to put people in place to advance the agenda of the Township Committee.

Can we trust that the intention of this ordinance is not to divert money to the MTC budget when Committeeman Settembrino, in his role as Library Board member, pushed to have $500,000 transferred from the Library budget to the MTC budget, thereby depleting the library reserves? Mr. Settembrino acted in accordance with his role as a Committeeman to advocate for the taxpayer and provide property tax relief to our residents by plugging a budget hole with this money transfer. However, his action neglects his Library Board Trustee duty to be an advocate for a robust library system.

How can this new, larger Board remain independent when its members may be beholden to the desires of their appointees? The interests of the Township Committee may permeate this independent Board and take precedence over the best interests of the library and the public whom the Board is meant to serve.

The Library Board members must first and foremost be advocates of the library, and their fiduciary responsibility would require them to protect the library budget so that it meets the needs of the library and its patrons. Can we trust that Mr. Fiore will require his appointees to serve our needs, and not his own?

Thank you for all that you do to keep residents informed of the actions of their local government.

Warm Regards,

Melanie Elmiger

Note:

For more on this topic read "The $500,000 Raid On The Middletown Library Won’t Be The Last" and the comments that accompany the post along with APP: Middletown requests library hand over surplus of over $542G and Meeting Minutes From Library Board's January 19th Meeting Contradicts What Was Said By Township Committee Members At Last Wednesday Night's Meeting. You can also access the archives of this blog for various updates and opinions on this topic.

The $500,000 Raid On The Middletown Library Won’t Be The Last

The Township Committee adds two additional Library Board members, sets the stage for majority control in 2012.

by guest blogger Linda Baum

A couple of months back, there was a rumor that the Township Committee intended to appoint two additional members to the Middletown Library Board, bringing the number of Board members from 7 to 9. (By comparison, keep in mind that the Township Committee consists of just 5 people.)

As it turns out, the rumor is true. At the Township Committee’s November 21, 2011 meeting, Ordinance 2011-3048 was introduced to add two new Library trustees. A public hearing on the Ordinance will be held at the Town Committee’s regular meeting on Monday, December 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

Two of the existing Board members, Mr. Milne and Ms. Raymond, are up for re-appointment at year end, and another Board member was already booted and replaced with Committeeman Settembrino at the start of this year. Add to those three spots the two new ones, and that’s a 5-4 majority to do the Town Committee’s bidding. So it would seem our mayor and his fellow Town Committee members have no intention of stopping at half a million.

As many of you know, I regularly attend the Library Board meetings and have since February of this year. I’m the only member of the public who regularly attends. If the woman who frequented Board of Education meetings was seen as the natural pick for that Board, I figure that makes me the front runner for one of the two new spots on the Library Board, right??? So I am submitting to the Town my application for Library Board membership, a futile effort since I am not likely to be appointed. My guess is that the two new appointees, or likely four if Mr. Milne and Ms. Raymond are replaced, will be members of the Republican Party faithful who are already serving on one or more other boards or commissions. I guess we’ll find out on Township Reorganization Day.

To understand what these changes could mean, let me recap a little history. In a taxpayer-funded play in 2010, Township attorney Brian Nelson succeeded in having New Jersey law changed to require our municipal public library to relinquish to the Township a significant portion of its surplus. (Previously, the law allowed for the transfer of funds but there was no requirement.) Now, the Library can keep some surplus -- an amount no more than 20% above the prior year’s budget -- but has to fork over the rest, with some exceptions. Some Library monies are protected under the law and are not considered surplus, such as restricted reserves for capital projects.

You may recall that of the $500K taken from the Library this year, half was restricted reserves that the Township was not entitled to legally. That’s one of the reasons such a battle erupted. The Library trustees were out-maneuvered from the start and in the end most felt obligated to pay the full $500,000. It was not without recognizing the precarious financial condition it left the Library in.

Faced with the substantial reduction in funding, the combined result of the $500K raid and an overall revenue decline in line with lower assessments, the Library trustees have been diligent this year about reducing costs where feasible without disruption to services. However, success in reducing the operating budget also has the effect of reducing the amount of surplus that can be retained (20% of the budget), leaving more on the table to be taken by the Township. In addition, the trustees have had to balance the need to set aside reserves – for unexpected expenses or to compensate for annual fluctuations in revenue – against what they stand to lose. The greater the reserve, the more the Township can take.

At its November 16th meeting, the Library Board discussed moving $122,000 to the capital fund to save for the parking lot expansion. Restricting a portion of the reserves for capital projects is supposed to protect the money from seizure by the Township. It won’t. The Library Board need only vote to unrestrict the funds, as was done this year. While the current Board is not likely to do that a second time, the newly re-structured 9-member Board might, and the Town Committee can ensure that it will by appointing the “right” people to the Board.

Sadly, the result may be a Library Board that fails to act in the best interests of the Library.

It's Your Town - Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 14- 7/13/11: 2011 Budget Adoption

There was a special Middletown Township Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 13,2011 to adopted the FY2011 Township budget. The Committee held a Public Hearing to amend the municipal budget before adoption, after which the Committee voted to adopt a budget for the 2011 calendar year. You can read all about it in the new edition of It's Your Town newsletter

This was another quick meeting with no comments from the Committee members except for Mayor Fiore, who said he was very proud of the budget produced this year.

To say that there was a handful of residents in attendance is an over statement, if you took out the reporters that were there only less than 10 people showed up. Do you think the 5pm starting time had anything to do with this? Something as important as a budget adoption could have waited until this evening when Middletown holds it regular monthly meeting in the court room.

Included in this budget is a property tax increase of about 3% over the 2010 increase of 13.85%.

It was stated that quarterly tax bills that reflect the new tax rate should be mailed out in about a week or so after the budget adoption, so you can expect your bills anytime now.

You can read this edition of It's Your Town newsletter and see a copy of the 2011 adopted Middletown Budget....Here

Once you read the news letter and take a look at the budget, you'll then be prepared to ask a few questions tonight if you are planning to attend the regular Township meeting at 8pm tonight at Town Hall.

Two things in the budget that quickly stood out to me were interest payments on bond debt, which has increased by nearly $400K over last year and the lack of an adequate surplus of funds built into this years budget. Surplus funds in this years budget have been diminished to $600K , which is extremely low, In years past that number has been as high as $4M. Last years surplus was over $1M and by the end of the FY 2010 it had been exhausted.

By the end of the year will the Township need to borrow money from the 2012 budget to make up for a shortfall as they had had to do at the end of 2009?

It's Your Town - Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 11- 6/6/11

The latest edition of It's Your Town newsletter is available for downloading. This edition of the newsletter covers the monthly workshop meeting of the Middletown Township Committee.

As is the new norm since no Democrats currently sit on the Township Committee, the meeting was over shortly after 9pm, it lasted just barely and hour. So one can imagine just how much public information was actually discussed in public.

Interestingly enough what was discussed was that the Township Committee is planning to raise a few various fees in town.

It was only about a year ago when those on the Middletown Committee were calling the fees increases imposed by the State, just another tax. Now it is their turn.

It was announced that the Township budget will be passed in early July, but I doubt it seeing how the Township will not receive surplus funds from the Library by then.

It should be noted thought that the budget $4M less than last years, but our property taxes will be increasing 2.9%. Go figure!

You can read all about these and other points of interest from the June 6th workshop meeting by downloading the current edition of the newsletter >>> Here

As always, happy reading.

Two Meetings Tonight That Shouldn't Be Missed; MIddletown Board of Ed and Middletown Library Board of Trustees

If you are free tonight there are two meetings this evening that shouldn't be missed, both the Middletown Board of Education and the Middletown Library Board of Trustees meet tonight.

If you attend the Middletown BOE meeting you will find out that Interim Superintendent Thomas Pagano has submitted his resignation, if lucky you will find out why.

I have been told that he is leaving due to health reasons, evidently he is very sick and can't perform his duties as Superintendent of Schools. Funny, that is the same reason that recently elected BOE member Bob Banta gave when he handed in his resignation after only 1 board meeting.

If you happen to stop by the Middletown Library tonight, Library Director Susan O'Neal should be presenting the projected library budget (history and forecast) to the board of trustees.

From what I understand, it will demonstrate that transferring $500K of surplus funds to the township will mean the libarary will not recover to the 2010 funding level until 2022.

Knowing this, would the library board, as advocates for the library, vote for this transfer of funds to the Township? More than likely so, but should be? I think not, at least not all of it. The library is transferring nearly $250K more to the Township than legally required to do.

Both meetings should be interesting.

Middletown Library Trustees Expected To Approve $500K Fund Transfer Report

Still catching up on recent goings on that I wasn't able to get to over the past two weeks is the latest news concerning the Middletown Library.

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.

Middletown Library’s $500,000 Forfeiture Is Not a Done Deal

by guest blogger Linda Baum

By now you’ve probably heard that, under heavy pressure from the Town Committee, the Library Board agreed to give nearly $500,000 of Library funds to the Township. I attended the Board meeting on 4/13/11 and learned that there are still issues to be resolved before the money can be transferred. My meeting notes were included in Mike’s 4/15/11 post. Those notes tell you the “what and when”, but there was much more to what transpired.

As Mike mentioned, the $500K transfer cannot be finalized until the State Library approves the deal, and there are a number of specific requirements that must first be met. Among these is the formation of a strategic plan that includes focus group feedback. My understanding is that ordinarily a strategic plan doesn’t have to involve focus groups. However, they are required in this case.

The Library Board last did a strategic plan in 2004 for the 3-5 year period going forward. That plan is now outdated. Per Library Director Susan O’Neal, work toward a new strategic plan began in 2009 but was not completed for lack of time and resources to devote to it. She feels strongly that a meaningful strategic plan is necessary and she expressed that opinion to the Board.

Committeeman Settembrino, who was clearly planted on the Board to see to the Town’s interests and not the Library’s, pressed for a quick finish. He insisted on a hurried approach that uses outdated data and places the burden of running focus groups on Library staff. With a quick switch of hats, he outright rejected a suggestion that the Town pay for an outside consultant to run the focus groups. (And why shouldn’t the Town pay? After all, the Town benefits because the work is for the sole purpose of finalizing the transfer.) I was stunned that Settembrino was allowed to unilaterally dismiss such a reasonable idea. I feel the Board should have required that the suggestion be presented to the Town Committee before any decision was made.

Ms. O’Neal stated that it would be inappropriate for Library staff to be involved in the focus group surveys because the standards established by the State Library specifically direct Library staff to offer guidance, but not to formulate the plan. Staffers’ involvement would also affect the quality of results, compromising the Board’s own standards. Add to the list that Susan’s time and that of other Library staff is stretched too thin already. She made a strong point that the failure to complete work started in 2009 is evidence that the help of an outside professional is needed.

Just as soon as Susan finished speaking, Settembrino made a motion for her to oversee all work.

Unfortunately, he got his way. A resolution was passed to handle the work internally, and a completion date of May 30th was set.

As part of that whole discussion, there was heated back and forth about the timing of the transfer. Kevin grilled Susan about what she was told by CFO Nick Trasente and Administrator Tony Mercantante about when they wanted the money. She told him that it was out of her hands, that the Board was required to meet the terms of the State Librarian, not the time table of the Town Committee. (The Town Committee should be well aware of that because the transfer requirements are clearly spelled out in official documents.)

In a comment to Mike’s 4/15/11 post, it was mentioned that the money doesn‘t have to be transferred right away to be included in the Town’s 2011 budget(Anon 4/16/11@8:51 pm). That makes sense. So if the delay won’t affect budget finalization, why the push to get the cash now versus at the end of the summer? That’s a question we should be asking.

Mr. Settembrino again appeared to be acting on the Town’s behalf when he pushed for early preparation of the Library’s 2012 draft budget, which already is done many months ahead of the Town’s. (In fact, if history is any indicator, the Town’s 2012 draft budget won’t be done ‘till well into 2012.) Ms. O’Neal and the other Board members pointed out that the usual October preparation of the Library’s budget has never presented a problem before – there has always been plenty of time for review. But Settembrino wanted it done sooner. He appeared to be setting the stage for the next raid. As I listened, my mouth fell open.

In the days following the meeting, I came by some additional information. Did you know that Town Committee members Pam Brightbill and Gerry Scharfenberger attended Library Board meetings in 2010 to lay the groundwork for the current grab? On the sideline, the Town’s attorney, Brian Nelson, lobbied for the law change that would allow them to move forward with their attack.

In response to those early overtures, last year the Library Board formally requested information from the Township. They received no reply.

You may have heard recently that the State Department of Community Affairs has required the Township to complete a corrective action plan for disparities found in its 2009 audit. I feel this is something we should be looking at much more closely.

There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered.

Many Questions Remain; Middletown's Library Surplus Issue Far From Settled And Could Be Derailed

There was another Middletown Library Board meeting this past Wednesday night and if you weren't there to witness the goings on you missed a lot. Evidently many questions arose over the the time table for which the Township Committee expects to be paid the $500,000 that it practically extorted form the library in order to fill a budget gap in it's own 2011 budget, and what was required by the State Librarian before those dollars could be legally transferred.

If it weren't for the lone member of the public who attended this meeting( that's correct, no one else other that then Board members were in attendance), Linda Baum, no one would know that there is a problem brewing over these funds once again.

According to the NJ State Librarian, before surplus funds can be transferred from the Middletown Library to the Township Committee, a strategic plan must be prepared. The plan would need to include a number of focus group opinions, which would take time to complete. Only after this was all completed, could the plan to transfer funds from the library to the township be completed. Library Director Susan O'Neal estimated that it would take until August to complete.

Of course this did not sit very well with Township Commiteeman Kevin Settembrino, who was appointed to the Library Board by the mayor. Settembrino wanted the transfer of funds to take place with in four weeks so that the the Township's budget could be finalized.

Ms. Baum took minutes of the meeting for herself and passed them along to me to share:

The library mtg ran three hours. Got heated in parts. The number of people in the audience including me: One. Here are the main points:

There are certain requirements the library must meet before the state librarian will approve the giveback. Formation of a strategic plan is required, and focus groups are a required part. Ms. O'Neal estimated an August 2011 completion date for both. Mr. Settembrino didn't like that at all -- he felt it would delay finalization of the town's budget. They discussed hiring a professional to conduct the groups at a cost of $3K max. A resolution to that effect was voted down 3-2. Some felt it could be done by library staff, while others felt staff lacked the time and that focus group participants would not be comfortable with library staff leading the groups. A few didn't want to spend money to give away money. Ms. Breen asked Kevin if the town would pay for it since they gain from it. He declined of course. Issues were cost, whether they could get community participation, and whether or not there was a need for new focus groups or if existing data could be used -- a survey was done in 2004. Mr. Settembrino proposed using the 2004 survey results to produce the focus group report for inclusion in the new strategic plan. A resolution to do it internally was passed 3-2. Mr. Settembrino revisited the timeline and asked for completion in 4 weeks. Ms. O'Neal said the end of May would be more achievable. Mr. Milne questioned if, by doing the focus groups themselves and/or by utilizing data already in hand, the library would be at risk of not getting the approval from the state librarian. (Let's hope so.) They don't know how much leeway they have.

(I thought of a few good ideas to simplify and speed the process, but I realized whose side I was on and kept quiet.)

It got heated when Mr. Settembrino scoffed about library employees resistance to doing the extra work in light of their recent raises (you know, the one dollar per week). Wendy Latona let him have it. She brought up the $15,000 stipend.

The next issue was about the 2009 audit results. Discussion was specifically about around $88K in library money that was left on the table but not known about in February. Kevin asked if this would affect the decision on the giveback. The board felt the issue was handled and would not affect the giveback. Ms. O'Neal said she had not yet talked with Nick Trasente, and wanted to address 2009 as well as 2010 issues. I got a little confused here. I asked if the board's concern about the audit related to just the $88k issue. Yes, they said. I said that I had reviewed the corrective action plan and felt much was not addressed. I asked them to consider revisiting the giveback decision as new information comes to light.

Mr. Settembrino asked when the preliminary 2012 budget comes out. Ms. O'Neal said the draft budget (in the range of $3.5M) is done in October when the official rateables comes out. Settembrino pushed to get it earlier, saying the rateables is out now. Susan said she is required to use the official figure released in October. Kevin said he felt leaving the initial release till October didn't leave enough time to review or make changes as needed, or whatever. Ms. O'Neal replied, "Duly noted." I don't know if there was any offer to meet an earlier target. Ms. Breen complimented Susan on being a great director and told Kevin it seemed like he was scolding.

There were other topics discussed relating to library spending for travel and repairs. The Lincroft branch has termite damage in the entryway.

Coverage or lack thereof for underground storage tanks was touched upon. Property coverage for the library is included under the town's policy, which is an excess policy. Kevin will check into coverage.

There was a resolution to allot more money to the library's attorney, whose fees ran over due to the recent funding battle. It passed.

Minutes from the 2/16 and 3/16 mtgs were adopted. I have a printed copy of minutes from 2/16 - 19 pages. I didn't get a copy of the 3/16 minutes, but will ask Wendy for it.

Feel free to distribute.

Linda

I'll be posting more about this over the next couple of days.

Things here just don't seem right to me and if Settmebrino or the rest of those on the Township Committee wanted their money right away, then I think they should have done their homework properly to find out if there would be potential problems. But like so much that those that run Middletown do, this attempt to wrestle funds from the Library was done haphazardly and with authoritarian zeal without knowing the consequences of their actions.

In Case You Missed It: Local library budgets get separate line on property tax bill: Law might shelve impulse to merge

In case you missed it, there was an article posted Sunday on the Asbury Park Press's website that would be of particular interest to those that had been following the drama that had been playing out between Middletown's Township Committee and the Middletown Library over the past 2 months.

A new law signed by Gov. Christie on Tuesday of last week, created a dedicated line on property tax bills for funding municipal libraries and makes a library's budget exempt from the state's new 2 percent cap on annual spending increases.

...Although taxpayers will continue to pay a percentage of their property's assessment to fund their local library, the money will no longer be considered part of a municipality's budget, making the process less political, said Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula, D-Somerset, one of the law's sponsors.

"Unfortunately, some municipalities were not providing the funding to their libraries on a timely basis," said Chivukula, who noted that library usage has increased statewide since the recent economic downtown.

The law should help to bring parity between local libraries and county systems, which already had dedicated line items exempt from the cap restriction, said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.

"This was a very important piece of legislation," Tumulty said....

What impact, if any, would this new law have had if in the battle between Middletown and it's Library if it had been known prior to the Library agreeing to the Township's terms for transferring $500,000 of reserved forms from the Library's coffers to that of the Township?

I'm not sure, but I think the Library wouldn't have felt the immediate need to pony up the excess funds over it's legitimate surplus, in an attempt to head off the Township from transferring the operations of the Middletown Library to the Monmouth County system. I think the negotiations between the lawyers for both sides would have been extremely different.

The library's Board of Trustees gave up a lot for very little in return and the impact of the Boards decision will be felt by the library for an extremely long time based on the wording of the 3 Library resolutions passed at it's March 16th meeting, which authorized the funds transfer.

As the article states, local municipalities that fund their own library system can't just transfer control of it's library to it's county system on a whim. If the municipal library system was created by an ordinance, as most have been, then the municipality would have to propose a new ordinance stating it's intention to transfer it's library over to the county and then place the ordinance on the ballot for referendum approval by township residents.

...For decades, the state's policy for dissolving libraries has been that municipalities must repeat whichever process was used to create the system originally, Tumulty said. Typically, that has meant a public referendum is required, she said....

I would have like to have seen what would have happened if residents of Middletown did have a say in the matter. I don't think such a referendum would have gained approval.

Middletown Library Issues Three Resolutions to Release Excess Funds To Township

The Middletown Library made it official last week when it issued the three resolutions requested of it from the Township, that would authorize the release of $500,000 from previously reserved library funds, to the Township.

These resolutions have no yet made it onto the Middletown Library's website, but i was told that they will be posted soon along with meeting minutes from the March 16th Board of Trustees Meeting.

Resolution 2011-23/Unrestricted Library Capital Reserves, Resolution 2011-26/ Forfeiture of Unreserved Funds and Resolution 2011-27/ Intent to transfer excess funds to the municipality of Middletown pending approval of the NJ State Librarian.

Resolution 2011-23, authorizes the release of $500,000 of reserved funds to the Township.
Resolution 2011-26, states that the Library Board of Trustees have agrees to forfeit 2008 & 2009 budget surplus of $196,831 as part of unrestricted funds o be transfer to the Township, and Resolution 2011-27, reaffirms the Library's intent to transfer $500,000 to the Township once approval is given by the NJ State Librarian.

You can read the resolutions by clicking on the hyperlinks above if you are interested to read them.

It's Your Town - Newsletter Volume 3, Issues 6- 3/21/11; The Mayor Explains The "Bonus"

This edition of the It's Your Town Newsletter contains information about the March 21,2011 Middletown Township NJ Committee meeting. The meeting was short, lasting a little more than an hour. After Committee comments only two members of the public addressed concerns to the Committee.

Items that were spoken about include the transfer of surplus funds from the Middletown Library to the Township for the purpose of tax relief and the giving of a $15,000 bonus to the Township Tax Assessor Charles Heck, that Mayor Fiore later categorized as a stipend, for his work preparing for the township wide reassessment.

Here is a small excerpt from the newsletter that contains Mayor Fiore's explanation of the bonus to Tax Assessor Heck:

...Mr. Fiore said in respect to the bonus of $15K to the Tax Assessor, Mr. Heck and the $5K bonus to the Assistant Assessor is very simple. He said the Township Committee reached a consensus and agreed that since Mr. Heck saved the Township $50K by doing some of the work Reality Appraisal was contracted to do he deserves the bonus. He said the Committee had the same consensus last year and that in order to spend $20K to save $50K, that is a pretty good spend when it is a net savings of $30K for the Township. He said that was not a bonus, but a stipend for the additional services by taking on more responsibility with the reassessment. Mr. Grenafege said that he and Mr. Fiore both worked in corporate environments and this is considered a bonus...

You can read the full Newsletter >>> Here

An Eyewitness Account Of How The Middletown Library Board Gave In

By guest blogger Linda Baum

There were only about twenty attendees at Wednesday’s meeting of the Middletown Library Board, a fraction of the crowd that showed up last month. Aside from Committeeman Settembrino, who is on the Library Board, no one from the Township was there. And the mood was different. It was calm, and everyone was polite. I took that as a bad sign.

A handful of people spoke during the public portion at the start of the meeting.

One woman brought up Brian Nelson’s comment at the meeting last month that he had personally lobbied the NJ legislature for the new law that requires public libraries to give part of their surplus to towns. Brian Nelson is Town Attorney. The woman said she found it disturbing that he was being paid with tax dollars to do this. Mr. Settembrino responded that Mr. Nelson has other clients besides Middletown, but of course he failed to mention that many, if not most, of those clients are other towns and the county. So, essentially, Mr. Nelson was paid with tax dollars to do something that most taxpayers don’t support.

Jim Grenafege and I had a common message, that the Township has a history of mismanaging tax dollars, either ignoring problems or responding to slowly or inadequately. Add to that a history of nondisclosure and bad financial decisions – bad for the taxpayers, anyway -- and it’s no small wonder they are looking for rescue now. My take is that if the Township is looking for a handout, the Town Committee needs to show that they have prudently managed the funds already in their charge. There is much evidence to the contrary, and I will get into all of that another time.

Right off the bat, Board President Gabrielan made a motion to give the town $250,000, half the amount that administrators and attorneys had come up with. Only he and Board VP Milne voted yes on the motion, and it failed 5 to 2.

At least one Board member expressed concern that much time had already been spent on discussion by the administrators and attorneys, who were charged with arriving at a figure. Mr. Gabrielan pointed out that they were not also charged with voting for the Board. Mr. Gabrielan felt the negotiations did not accurately represent facts or address concerns, and said that information could be presented in any manner to achieve a desired result. And with that, the sentiment from the last meeting reared its head.

Other Board members seemed just to want to get this issue behind them and get on with other library business. The Board members felt the need to agree to an amount to the town’s liking in order to be insulated from such attacks for the remainder of 2011 and to protect the library from the threat of transfer to the county system, a threat Mr. Gabrielan noted was without merit.

“Tax relief” was a handy feel-good phrase. It had to be obvious to everyone just how little relief the money would provide. I suspect the Board had an eye to how they would be painted in the press. In fact – if I heard right -- a joint press release was part of the negotiated agreement.

There was also considerable concern about the town’s plan to handle the parking lot expansion on behalf of the library as part of the giveback, while still expecting the library to pay the debt service on a bond for the work. The issue, of course, was that the library should not have to pay anything after the giveback, which includes funds that were earmarked for the construction. I am not sure how this was resolved. I think the town backed down, and in the end it was agreed that after the giveback, the library would owe nothing more to the town for the lot construction.

After all was said and done, the Board voted to give just short of $500,000 to the town.

I stayed until the end, just me and two members of the press. There was a second public comment period at that time. I was the lone speaker. I felt the need to point out that the lot construction arrangement was not a good thing for taxpayers because the town would be using the library’s money for some other purpose and then bonding for the construction. That will burden taxpayers with additional unnecessary debt that we would not have had if the library handled the work itself. And it will be yet another reason why the town will be back before the Library Board next year and the year after crying for more money.

Integrity and Independence Of Middletown Library Is Now And Forevermore Compromised

By now most everyone who is interested, knows about the outcome of Wednesday night's Middletown Library Board meeting. After much bantering, chest beating and ideal threats by members of the Township Committee toward those who sit on the Middletown Library Board of Trustees, the members of the board decided that it was better to cave into Township demands than risk their positions as board members. By a 5 to 2 vote members of the Library Board of Trustees decided to handover nearly $500,000 worth of surplus and reserved funds to the Township, even though it may compromise the Library at a later date.

I've been asked by a number of people what my thought's and feelings are about what transpired Wednesday night but I wasn't in attendance, I worked late and couldn't make it home in time, but after speaking with a few people that were there and reading the accounts of the meeting online at the Asbury Park Press, Redbankgreen.com and Middletown patch.com, I've read and heard enough to form an opinion.

I think that the integrity and independence of the Middletown Library and it's current Board of Trustees has now and forevermore been compromised due to their majority decision of support, to handover reserved funds to the Township for little more than a veiled promise of not turning the operations of the Library over to Monmouth County and not seeking anymore funds from the Library for the rest of 2011.

Remember this controversy came to light because Library Treasurer and Trustee Sherry Miloscia, sent out an impassioned email back on February 11th to library supporters that went viral, stating that the Township had made threats against the library and it's Board of Trustees if they refused to hand over $1.2 million from the coffers, even though most of the money in question was restricted and not really surplus.

After that a war of words exploded between Mayor Fiore and Library Director Susan O'Neal, each releasing statements before the February 16th Library Board meeting in which the Township wanted an answer as to how much funds they could extort, I mean expect, from the Library.

That meeting was heavily attended and many of those in attendance made impassioned pleas of their own in support of the library, it seemed that the Board of Trustees were energized and encouraged by the show of support, to stand firm against handing over anymore funds to the Township than was legally required. Unfortunately however, the firmness of the Trustees seemed to wain over the weeks as fewer supporters turned out to voice concerns at subsequent Township Committee and Library Board meetings, ultimately ending with the outcome as reported.

In succumbing to the pressure of the Township Committee, those members of the Board of Trustees that voted to hand over reserved funds over and above the verified surplus, giving all but $66,000 to the Township, broke their vow to individuals that had donated private funds in support of the library, that wished to see their endowments used for the enrichment of the library, not the Township Committee.

I suppose though that's OK seeing how the Township has promised to fund, through bonding, projects that the Library already had the funds to pay for upfront and will now be required to reimburse the Township for afterwards, like the parking lot expansion and solar panel projects that the Library already started planning for and spent money on.

What incentive does the Library Board of Trustees now have to save and run the library prudently or build surplus funds for capital projects and rainy day items like new computers or furnishing for the comfort and enjoyment of their customers, the Middletown residents? None I would say, because anytime that perceived funds exist that seem to be over and above the legal amount set by the state in which the library can hold in surplus, the Middletown Committee will be looking to confiscate it. And with this being the case, why would any private individual donate funds to the Middletown library every again? A fundraiser for the library you say, well good luck with that. No one in their right mind could ever support such a thing again.

The only two Board Trustees that I can honestly say came out off this situation with their integrity intact are Board President and Vice President Randal Gabrielan and Gregory Milne. They opposed this transfer of funds on the grounds that it was excessive and would compromise the Library down the road.

They didn't roll over out of fear of losing their board positions, like a few of the people I talked to suggested the other board members had.

Gabrielan and Milne were not impressed and didn't feel threatened by fellow Board Trustee, Township Committeeman Kevin Settembrino, with his silver and slippery tongue. They understand the consequence that this action represents, which is that forevermore, the library will no longer be seen as an independent entity, free from political preying hands and political whims of those that run the Township.

I wouldn't be surprised by the fact that when Randal Gabrielan and Gregory Milne's terms expire as Library Trustees, they will not be re-appointed. Current Township Committee members made that abundantly clear when they expressed displeasure with Trustees on the night of February 16th, when those members made statements to the effect that they had appointed the trustees to the the library board and they were shocked by the trustees behavior.

Time will tell whether or not the Library Board of Trustees made the right decision in selling out to the Township. Everyone knows that the Township Committee is short sighted in many of thing that they do, this money grab is no different, next year and the year after that, and the year after that, Middletown will still be looking at structural problems within its operating budget with nowhere else left to turn.

Library Board Meeting Tonight; Update Issued For Library Supporters

Middletown Library Director Susan O'Neal has posted the following update on the Middletown Township Library's website in advance of tonight's Library Board meeting, where it is presumed that an answer will be forthcoming on how much, if any, reserved library funds will be transfered to the Township to help offset the Topwnship's budget deficit:

The next meeting of the Library Board is Wednesday, March 16, at 7:00 p.m. This is, of course, a public meeting. The issues of the last two months, specifically the library making a contribution to the Township for the 2011 budget, and the terms of same, have been in negotiations since the last meeting. Last week, to our surprise, the Township Administrator and Attorney revealed to the press the amount of money they are asking for, $500,000. There are other terms which are still part of the negotiations. I can tell you that these are viewed as protections for the library from some of the threats that have been publically made. I cannot say, in truth, whether there is an agreement that will be struck by Wednesday night or not, but the Library is cautiously optimistic, and has given over much time and deliberation to the process.


If the Library transfers funds to the Township of Middletown, there are strict procedures stated in the law that must be followed, among these are the Library must prepare an Annual Report on the state of the library, it must submit a three year Technology Plan and a three year Strategic Plan. These last two plans are submitted to the NJ State Library for approval. Once these plans are approved, the Library can apply to the NJ State Library for the transfer to take place. The State Librarian has 45 days to approve or deny the transfer. These procedures were developed in tandem with the Department of Community Affairs, which oversees all municipal budgets in the State of New Jersey.

The intent of all this is to ensure that the library has sufficient funds remaining for current year operations and for the future plans it has adopted. In fact, an early version of the law was vetoed by Gov. Christie, because he saw that the safeguard provisions for the local libraries needed to be improved in the bills that were passed. If the Middletown Township Library Board of Trustees does decide to transfer monies to the Township, it is committed to following these procedures accurately and completely.

Once the terms have been negotiated and an agreement has been made, the Trustees desire is that a joint announcement of the terms will be made available to the public.

You are, of course, welcome to attend the upcoming Board Meeting when the agreement, if done, comes before the entire Board of Trustees for a vote.

Township Makes New And Improved Request Of $500K To Library

Instead of the over inflated request of $1.2 million that the Middletown Township Committee wants to steal from the Middletown Library, local officials have now made a new and improved request to the library for only $500,000 of its reserved funds according to an article online this morning over at the Asbury Park Press.

What strikes me about this article is that Township Attorney Brian Nelson, who is not an elected official but somehow seems to think he is very often, is out in front of this without he lead quote " This is our official request". Where is the mayor or deputy mayor on this; Why no word from them?

The other quote that sticks out is from Township Administrator Tony Mercantante, "Both sides could sue each other, and we'd end up in court for three years, but no one wants that."

This to me seems like an ill disguised vile threat if you ask me, especially if you add it to other inflammatory remarks already made by those who represent the township that threatened to change the composition of the Library's Board of Trustees by not reappointing current trustees and by adding more trustees that would be more sympathetic to the Township's wishes, along with handing the Middletown Library over to the County to run.

The article also reiterates what I have been reminding people of since the February 16th Library Board meeting, which is that this request will not save the jobs of the 26 employees already scheduled to be laid off:

Township officials have said they need the money to avoid laying off more than the 26 positions that are already part of a plan it submitted to the state Civil Service Commission last month. Included in the layoff plan are 10 township police department and 13 parks and recreation department positions.

So now the Township feels that the ball is in the hands of the Library's Board of Trustees at this point, Wednesday night is the next scheduled Library Board meeting and the Township expects an answer to their request.

The last I heard the Library Board was unwilling to give the Township much more than ~$250K, which is what they feel the library is obligated, by state law to return.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens Wednesday night.

Read the article >>> Here