Red Bank officials say they will attempt to use general tax dollars to offset a library budget deficit that forced substantial layoffs last week and spurred an outcry from local supporters and volunteers.
The cuts, which library officials say will lead to drastically reduced operating hours at the Eisner Memorial Library/Red Bank Public Library throughout 2014, were the result of a $131,000 shortfall in the library’s budget this year.
Red Bank’s chief financial officer, attorney and borough administrator are now investigating the possibility of raising additional funds for the library through local property taxes, according to borough Finance Committee Chairman Michael DuPont.
“Everyone [on the Finance Committee] was in favor of that, but I don’t know legally if we can do that,” said DuPont, a councilman, during the Borough Council’s March 12 meeting.
“There is hope. We are not resting on our laurels. … This library will be sustained, this library will be funded, and we all need to put our minds together.”
The state Department of Community Affairs would have to sign off on such a proposal, DuPont said.
A standing-room-only crowd of supporters packed into Borough Hall for the meeting, after word circulated about the layoffs that had been announced earlier that day.
In all, three of the library’s eight fulltime employees and all three part-time employees were given notice last week. This leaves five staffers, including Library Director Virginia Papandrea, who plans to retire sometime in the coming months.
Jane Eigenrauch, the adult-services librarian at Eisner for the last 37 years, said she also plans to retire later this year. The cuts, she said, broke her heart. “It’s an emergency,” she told the council. “I don’t see how we will sustain the library. I hope that you will be able to get together with the board and see what can be done.”
According to borough and library officials, Eigenrauch is due more than $70,000 in outstanding sick pay when she retires. As of March 14, it was unclear if the borough council would assume that liability in the municipal budget.
In an email, Papandrea said this would be the last such payout for library staff, as laws enacted since Eigenrauch’s hire prevent new employees from accumulating large amounts of sick time.
The real issues, Papandrea said, stem from benefits and salaries for full-time staff.
“The health benefits that must be given to fulltime employees under the union contract have been a great expense for the library,” she said on March 14. “The library paid nearly $114,000 last year in health insurance premiums. Based on 2013 rates, the estimated savings in health insurance and other fringes will be close to $71,600 as a result of the staffing cuts we have made.”
In total, the layoffs will save the library more than $217,000 in salaries and benefits costs in 2014, Papandrea said. Pension contributions for library employees have traditionally been made by the borough.
The library operates under an autonomous board with a separate budget, which is primarily funded through local property taxes based on a strict, state-mandated formula.
According to Papandrea, the library’s municipal appropriation for 2014 is $668,788, down from $671,124 last year and $741,106 in 2011.
In 2013, the library allocated $425,000 for salaries; $180,000 for employee benefits; and $33,680 for temporary staff, training and similar expenses. Books, magazines, electronics and other materials accounted for $44,440, while computing, technology, programs and supplies accounted for more than $42,000. Another $53,000 was allocated for utilities and building maintenance.
That budget was supplemented by nearly $113,000 in library savings, fees, bequests and donations from organizations such as the Friends of the Red Bank Public Library.
In the last year, library officials have deferred maintenance on the outside of the building, reduced spending on books and other items, reduced staff through attrition and cut hours by 20 percent, Papandrea said.
Those cuts, however, were still not enough to prepare a working budget for 2014, she added.
“We looked at staffing patterns at libraries of comparable size and found that it is more typical to have five-or-so full-time employees,” she said. “Bringing our fulltime staffing more into line with that typically found in small libraries will be a big step toward the library’s future financial stability.”
In a statement released on behalf of the library board of trustees on March 15, Board President John Grandits said 95 percent of the library’s funding goes directly to personnel.
“We have to live within our means, and that is why we are reorganizing,” Grandits said.
While library officials have acknowledged the layoffs will necessitate cuts in library hours and services going forward, Grandits said they will help ensure the longterm viability of the library.
“The trustees remain committed to providing the best possible level of service to the Red Bank Public Library and will work to restore staffing levels and hours of service to higher levels in 2015,” he said.
It was a highly emotional council meeting last week, as laid-off staff members and library supporters on both sides of the dais expounded on the importance of the Red Bank library, and libraries in general.
“There are so many families who don’t have resources at home, who don’t have computers, or can’t go to Barnes & Noble and buy what they need for school,” said Sira Williams, children’s services coordinator for the library since 2011, who received notice last week.
“The Children’s Room was closed today. I’m sure it’s going to be closed a lot going forward because there are only four people working in the library.”
DuPont, calling the library the “heart and soul of Red Bank,” pledged to match any donations made by his fellow council-members up to $1,000. Council President Arthur Murphy and Councilwoman Cindy Burnham reported making similar-sized donations of their own.
Some of the attendees asked the council to dig into the library’s finances and management, calling for greater transparency and accountability moving forward.
DuPont responded that borough professionals were already moving in that direction, and any potential issues would be addressed prior to the introduction of the borough’s budget on March 26.
The meeting also produced some creative suggestions for helping meet the library’s budget gap, including a borough-wide fundraising initiative through local businesses and the establishment of a coffee shop at the library.
According to Candyce Valor, one of the library’s remaining full-time employees, the library had more than 58,000 visitors in 2013, with more than 15,000 in the Children’s Room alone. More than 6,800 adults and children attended the library’s various programs.
Approximately 50,000 items were loaned, Valor said, while 21,000 reference and information questions were answered.
Exact hours will be posted on the front door of the library, and visitors may call the library at 732-842-0690 or visit www.redbanklibrary.org for any changes that might have been made in the schedule.