By Davy James, Staff Writer
JAMESBURG — Candidates seeking seats on the Borough Council have differing opinions concerning a referendum that would cut municipal funding for the Jamesburg Public Library.
In August, the Borough Council unanimously approved an ordinance to place a question on the Nov. 4 general election ballot that lets voters decide whether or not to end the requirement that the borough fund the library.
Should voters decide against funding the library, Jamesburg would enter into an interlocal agreement that would allow residents to use the Monroe Township Public Library. The Monroe Township Public Library is located approximately a mile and a half from the Jamesburg Library.
Middlesex County Area Transit agreed to provide two daily buses to transport residents to the Monroe library at no cost, according to local officials.
Borough officials say ending municipal support for the library and contracting with Monroe will save about $30,000 a year. The referendum is necessary because the public library was created by referendum in the 1960s.
The library will receive $185,614 from the borough as part of the 2008 municipal budget. Approximately 1,500 people currently hold cards, which works out to a $123- per-cardholder fee, according to library officials. Under the new agreement with Monroe, the borough would pay a $105-per-cardholder fee.
Republican challenger Brian Duke, Democratic challenger Daria Ludas and Democratic incumbent and current council President Otto Kostbar are vying for two, three-year seats on the council.
Incumbent Thomas Bodall, an incumbent who had been seeking his first full three-year term, recently resigned from the council and will not be seeking re-election after he was charged with attempted endangering the welfare of a minor and distributing obscene material to a minor.
Mr. Duke, 36, is the national director of marketing, engineering and consulting for an engineering and consulting firm in Manalapan. He said Jamesburg needs a library and that the current location makes it a centerpiece for the borough.
”At this point it’s in the hands of the voters, but I like the convenience of having a local library,” Mr. Duke said. “I have three kids who go there. You can analyze the cost savings for sharing the library in Monroe but you need to measure that with the loss of convenience. I think it will be sad to just have a vacant building sitting there.”
Mr. Duke said the borough loses some of its small town charm should voters decide to stop funding the library.
”If you take what the savings are it breaks down to about $5 per person,” he said. “For $5, when you look at the convenience factor, I think it’s worth it to have a library. There are other places to look for tax savings besides losing a piece of our infrastructure and identity.”
Mr. Duke said he would rather look at other options for the borough to find savings.
”If you look at the town for potential savings we can look at green design to develop revenue streams,” Mr. Duke said. “We can look at shared services with the school to offset expenses. There are other ideas besides the library. We need to promote the downtown to increase the value of the borough and bring in revenues. We should’ve looked at all alternatives before deciding to make such a drastic change.”
Ms. Ludas, 59, is a third-grade teacher in Florence and served on the library board of trustees for eight years. She said she supports the plan to cut funding to the library because she thinks the benefits outweigh the negatives.
”I think the plan is excellent because the Monroe library is larger and will provide Jamesburg residents more services and programs,” Ms. Ludas said. “I was on the board of trustees where you have to look out for the best interests of the library and look for the best interests of Jamesburg. We’ll save a significant amount of money. We’ll lose some convenience but the bookmobile will come to provide some convenience and there will be bus transportation as well.”
Ms. Ludas said the agreement with Monroe is a sign of the times and necessary for small communities like Jamesburg.
”The trend within the state is for towns to share services and this is the beginning of what’s in the future,” she said. “Most towns need to share some type of service due to budget constraints. We need to look for savings wherever we can find them.”
Ms. Ludas said the savings generated by closing the library could be well applied to other areas to serve residents.
”The benefits of the tax money we save can go to address safety issues like buying a new police car,” she said.
Mr. Kostbar, 58, is an attorney who has served on the council for three and one half terms. He said he strongly believes in the shared service agreement with Monroe because of the savings for the borough and services available.
”The Monroe library is close and accessible and we’re going to arrange for public transportation along with bookmobiles that will come to Jamesburg,” Mr. Kostbar said. “Local service sharing agreements are the way we have to go. The library costs over $185,000-per-year to operate and that goes up every year and could be over $200,000 next year. In the fiscal situation we’re in now we need every penny.”
Mr. Kostbar said the savings could be applied to numerous projects throughout the borough.
”We need a new police car, we’ve had to cut back on our garbage services and this deal works out well for us,” he said. “We need to use our limited resources elsewhere, like infrastructure, public safety and town festivals. We’re going to save $30,000 this year in expenses. That’s a police car right there. I anticipate the savings to be much higher.”
Mr. Kostbar said Monroe’s library will offer services such as a drive-through window for pickup and drop-off of books, a coffee shop, children’s reading programs and online services such as tutoring programs. He said the extra services are something that Jamesburg will never be able to offer. He said more people would use the library if they knew what Monroe’s services have to offer.
”If you concentrate on the facts and the numbers with money we save and increased services then it’s a no-lose situation,” Mr. Kostbar said. “Monroe is enthusiastic about working with us. This small town will continue to exist with its own unique characteristics. Most other towns have a county library system. No matter what the savings are, it’s the extra services for our residents that matter.”

