Library and Health Department spending plans at issue
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
A five-hour meeting Tuesday of the Princeton Borough Council and the Princeton Township Committee produced a consensus on a majority of the municipalities’ joint budgets but, due to various discrepancies, officials did not reach an agreement regarding the 2006 spending plans for the library and Health Department.
The unresolved joint budgets will be revisited by administrators and further discussion by the governing bodies is expected.
Both municipalities have introduced budgets the borough at $22.9 million and the township at $30.9 million and Township Administrator Jim Pascale said Wednesday that despite Tuesday’s developments, the Township Committee plans to consider approving the budget at its Monday meeting as planned.
Mr. Pascale said representatives of the library and the Health Department will be invited back to the Township Committee meeting next week.
"We’ll do it again," he said. "We hope later in the evening to adopt the budget." The adoption would be contingent on the borough approving a comparable proposal with regard to the disputed agencies, Mr. Pascale said.
Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi wasn’t as confident that the Borough Council would pass its budget on schedule next week. "We’re obviously not going to be able to adopt Tuesday," Mr. Bruschi said Wednesday.
The operating budget for the library proposed by the administrators is approximately $3.25 million and although it is up $154,716 from last year, it is about $250,000 shy of the library’s original request. Library Director Leslie Burger said such a weighty operating budget request was required because of the move made last year by the council and committee to allocate funds for library materials last year it was $445,000 as a capital expense. Capital expenditures are financed through borrowing. For this year, the administrators proposed $130,000 for capital expenditures in the library budget, $30,000 for computer replacement and $100,000 for books.
Books, which have been traditionally included in the operating budget, were allocated as a capital expense in 2005 because the borough was facing a tight budget year and the new library had to be supplied, Mr. Bruschi said. But now, Ms. Burger said, the library is being punished for accommodating the municipalities’ previous request and is left with inadequate operating funds to purchase new materials.
Members of the Township Committee said they oppose regularly purchasing books through capital funds. While it is legal, Mayor Phyllis Marchand said borrowing for books is not fiscally responsible.
"It is not a truthful reflection of the cost for our library to be so wonderful," Mayor Marchand said. "I’m not saying we should reduce what you’re doing, it’s just that those costs should be in the operating budget."
But members of the Borough Council said taxpayers cannot be expected to absorb such a spike in the operating budget.
"There are people in the community who cannot afford to pay their taxes," Borough Councilman David Goldfarb said.
In addition, administrators said they did not expect that $455,000 would again be needed to purchase books. "I don’t think anyone here thought that ($445,000) was going to be an annual event," Mr. Pascale said, adding that such a large purchase was thought to be needed to outfit the new facility.
Ms. Burger outlined various scenarios the most drastic being that if the budget proposed by administrators is approved, the library would have to consider closing its doors on Mondays but none of her proposals, as well as those put on the table by council and committee members, seemed to satisfy all.
In a separate presentation seeking additional Heath Department monies, Health Commission Chairwoman Susan Kapoor said the department has barely enough funds to run a "bare-bones" operation.
Because of confusion over figures presented by Ms. Kapoor and those of the administrators, a decision was deferred on the Health Department budget, which administrators proposed at $455,001 up $68,973 from last year.
However, the Health Department is requesting an additional allocation of $41,240 on top of the funds proposed by administrators. Department representatives said the funds are needed to provide the well-baby clinic, a part-time health educator, a part-time outreach worker, additional clerical support and other services.
Among the major joint budget proposals approved are:
$134,805 for the Fire Department, down $30,157 from last year. Approved capital expenses include a $200,000 special-services vehicle.
$322,362 for the Planning Board, up $5,518 from last year.
$1.1 million for the Recreation Department, up $32,299 from last year. Approved capital expenditures include $125,000 for a skateboard park.
$1.3 million for the sewer budget, up $112,777 from last year. Capital expenses include $650,000 for systemwide sewer rehabilitation.
$107,654 for the Suzanne Patterson Center, up $5,188 from last year. Capital expenditures include $25,000 for a floor replacement.
$277,822 for Corner House, up $45,000 from last year to finance an outreach counseling position.