By Davy James, Staff Writer
JAMESBURG — The Jamesburg Public Library is bracing for an Election Day referendum that asks voters whether the borough should continue funding it.
Should the public vote to stop funding, Jamesburg would enter into an interlocal agreement with Monroe for full access to the Monroe Township Public Library. The Jamesburg Public Library would be forced to close by the end of the year without municipal funding.
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 Jamesburg library will receive $185,614 from the borough as part of the 2008 municipal budget. That works out to $123 for each of the approximately 1,500 cardholders it has on record, according to library representatives.
Under the proposed interlocal agreement, the borough would pay $110 per cardholder, about what it costs Monroe per cardholder. The per-cardholder fee would increase for the borough cardholders only if per-cardholder costs increase in Monroe, Jamesburg officials said.
Local officials say the move would save the borough money to fund essential services, while some residents have varying concerns for the ramifications of the closing.
”We have to look at the overall fiscal situation and weigh the concerns of how often the library is used versus the potential for tremendous savings,” said Borough Council President Otto Kostbar. “We’re spending what could be $185,000 on the Jamesburg library this year, but we won’t know the full cost until the beginning of the year when we get the final bill.”
Jamesburg Library officials say that what the library offers to residents can’t be measured in dollar value.
”The library is a cultural center and a hub of the town,” said Library Director Cindy Yasher. “It’s a place kids can come after school to do research and we offer a lot of services and programs. A lot of residents use the library not just for books, but for Internet access.”
Ms. Yasher said she doesn’t think many residents would use the Monroe Library because of the distance between the two. She said Jamesburg is a walking town and the two libraries are about a mile and a half apart.
Mr. Kostbar said a walkway would be put through the park for access to the Monroe library, in addition to free public transportation being provided and a bookmobile that would visit Jamesburg.
Jamesburg library users said Tuesday that they had concerns should the library close.
”It wouldn’t be good if the library were to close because it’s easier for my kids to walk here,” said resident Peter Braconi. “I don’t want my kids walking to the Monroe library through the park.”
Other users agreed and said Jamesburg would be losing a piece of its identity.
”The library is a community center and a positive environment for everyone in the community,” said resident Sarah Armour. “I home schooled my children for seven years and the library has helped tremendously.”
Local officials said the Monroe library would be brought to residents with the bookmobile and would offer expanded services. Borough Councilman Brian Grimes said Monroe’s library offers the same services as Jamesburg, plus additional state-of-the-art services.
Currently, only Jamesburg residents who are Monroe Township High School students have full privileges in the Monroe library, while Jamesburg cardholders have limited privileges.
Should the Jamesburg library close, residents would get the same privileges as Monroe residents, including the ability to reserve books and enter into programs, computer classes and discussion groups. Currently, Jamesburg residents are automatically put on a waiting list for all programs, with Monroe residents having priority. Mr. Grimes said Jamesburg residents would be treated as Monroe residents.
”The whole concept of a free public library is false,” Mr. Grimes said. “We all pay through property taxes. The concept that Monroe could alter the deal or that Jamesburg residents would be treated differently is fear mongering by people who don’t want the referendum to pass. The borough would save money and give library users better services.”
Council members have said that eliminating the library from the budget would create more spending flexibility. Library spending — because it is set by state statute at one-third of a mil, or one-third of one-tenth of total equalized assessed valuation, with annual increases capped at 15 percent — has been increasing at a greater rate over the last several years than the overall borough budget. A state tax levy cap imposed last year — which limits the increase in the municipal tax levy to 4 percent — has only exacerbated the borough’s difficulties.
Mr. Grimes said that if funding to the library continues, the borough would be forced to cut essential services.
”We’re speaking about a fiscal crisis and non-essential services are the first to get cut and then it’s essential services that get cut,” Mr. Grimes said. “If we don’t take action, then people will get laid off in this borough, period. We’re talking police and public works. Garbage pickup will definitely be eliminated and residents will have to pay for that out of pocket.”
Mr. Grimes said that the only area of the budget the council has no control over is the library, because the state mandates that if a municipality has a library, then it must get a minimum amount of funding each year.
Library officials remain convinced, however, that the money that would be saved takes away something from Jamesburg residents.
”This library is at the center of town and if it closes people will just start buying books and stop using libraries,” Ms. Yasher said. “We’d like for people in town to get out and vote no on the referendum and save our library.”

