Ridgewood Library seeks return to 2009 funding level
APRIL 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014, 2:55 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood Public Library is seeking a 1.9 percent increase over last year’s department budget, a sum that would return its municipal funding to 2009 levels. Library officials reviewed their proposed 2014 spending plan with Village Council members Monday afternoon, focusing their presentation on key elements of the $2.32 million budget.
Members of Ridgewood’s Emergency Services and Office of Emergency Management also detailed their respective spending proposals earlier this week, as the municipality inches closer to finalizing its 2014 budget. The village’s governing body is expected to introduce the municipal budget April 23, with a public hearing and vote to adopt scheduled for May 28.
Much of the library’s operating budget was dismantled about six years ago, when the global financial crisis rocked all levels of government. Since then, the library has attempted to do more with less, while trying annually to recoup its funding.
Director Nancy Greene provided several library highlights, such as a 10 percent increase in both attendance at library programs and the number of reference questions directed to staff members. Notable programs include English as a Second Language, special needs events, technology training and student-to-student homework help.
“Governing officials agreed that the duties of the OEM coordinator position warrant an emergency vehicle, and Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said she, Kleiman and other officials can explore other alternatives to outfit a seldom-used municipal vehicle for the OEM.”
Common sense prevails – thank you Roberta! If the Village sub code official, water department, street department, and health department managers all have vehicles, it makes no sense not to give one to OEM.
The library also benefits from private funding through the Friends of the Library organization and the Library Foundation, Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck said. But, according to Hauck, the library should be shouldered by the village.
“It is an expensive department, but it’s not near as expensive as the police department and fire department. I would like it to be up there in that same echelon,” Hauck said.
Duh? Are you friggin’ kidding me? Earth calling Gwenn, Earth calling Gwenn, come in please Gwenn! Police and fire operate 24/7/365 with specialized equipment and personnel. That’s why the budgets are big.
Funny isn’t it. Loads of talk from Village Hall about shared services and using the County services when possible but no talk at all about combining municipal libraries and getting rid of some administrative overhead in the process. We could easily combine with HoHoKus, Midland Park, and Glen Rock, could we not?
“It is an expensive department, but it’s not near as expensive as the police department and fire department. I would like it to be up there in that same echelon,” Hauck said
Really. So you want the library budget in the same echelon as a 24/7 365 days a year department budget to include state and federal mandated training and equipment. Now I know BROKEN RECORD will chime in about pension and medical but we are talking about operating budget. WOW!
We let see what our Financial Advisory Board has to about this budget.Oh I forgot there are Library Moles on that board.
Well now its time to PAYBACK the Library Crew for backing the THREE AMIGOS in the last election and there will be more PAYBACKS to come.
Any of these name look familiar?
2013 – 2014 Directors
Betsy Giordano, President
Shoshana Feiner, Vice-President/Sec
Stephen Petrick, Treasurer
Marie Bicks
Tony Damiano
Catherine Donnelly
Kathleen M. Entwistle
Janet Fricke
Kathleen Gatens
Paul Goldberg
Jeffrey Karpf
Helen Kim
Cara Murray
Anne Ramsey
Rahul Sharma
Melanie Stern
Associate Directors
Glenn F. Jorgensen, Founding President
Harlen Coben
Dan Cummings
Elia Desruisseaux
Thomas Dougherty
Josh Grunat
Jacque Harlow
Gwenn Hauck ****
Phyllis Heilborn
Teresa Hutchins
Michele Lenhard
William J. Meakem
Barbara Moreira
Ellen Quinn
Joan Popkin
Deborah Primiano
Albert Pucciarelli *****
Fred Strype
Ridgewood News
Councilman Paul Aronsohn reads proclamation of appreciation for Catherine Donnelly and Gwen Hauck for their work as Co-chairs of Library Foundation Fundraiser.
Gwenn Hauck Why is voting on the Ridgewood Library budget? She has been involved in fundraisers. Has been a major donator to the library along with her father “Duke “
Library Board of Trustees
John Johansen
President
Elisa R. Legg
Vice-President
Arlene Sarappo
Secretary
Gail Campbell
Treasurer
James Mazzo
John Saraceno
Jayne Schroeder
Gwenn Hauck
Village Council
Paul Aronsohn
Mayor
Linda Diorio
Superintendent’s Delegate
Dr. Daniel Fishbein
Superintendent of Schools
Any comments on the Library budget Charlie?
Noble as libraries have been over the years, it’s hard to justify increasing public funding for Ridgewood’s. Such is the price we pay for past extravagances. As for Mrs. Hauck, she should probably keep her head down and steer clear of any other potential conflicts of interest at the taxpayers’ expense. In advance of the predictable counterpoint – I’ll concede that her advocating for another of her personal crusades is “legal” but it just continues to look bad.
Let’s look at the facts: the overall Village budget has grown by +9% from $42.15mn in 2009 to $46.02mn as of the adopted 2012 budget; of that, the Library budget had DECLINED -2% from $2.28mn to $2.23mn in 2009; meanwhile insurance, including healthcare, GREW +48% from $4.02mn to $5.95mn, the bill for public safety ROSE +7% from $11.39mn to $12.2mn, and the cost to taxpayers to fund pensions & social security INCREASED +26% from $3.6mn to $4.54mn. For those keeping score, healthcare, wages and pensions accounted for almost 100% of the growth in our budget since 2009, yet we cut funding for the Library since then. So while the pensionistas will have you believe that funding the Library at 2009 levels (only $50,000 more a year than in 2012) is a horrible idea, they won’t tell you that any growth in the Library budget is insignificant compared to the growth in wages and benefits for their boys. And in a metric that even they should be able to understand, it costs the average tax payer $1.01 per household/commercial business, per day, to have a Village Library open to all. That’s a bad thing ?

New Jersey State Law mandates that municipalities with local libraries allocate funding according to the one-third mill formula. With this formula, local libraries receive 33 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
Question #12: How many cents on the dollar are Ridgewood’s taxpayers currently funding their library at? Much higher than what is required by law, correct?
Also, you forgot to mention all of the municipal services that have been cut in past years. Zero cuts made at the library. Service levels remain essentially the same. Nice, but expensive.
I knew BROKEN RECORD would bring the police and fire. Go ahead bring the Library budget up to same as the police and fire because that a good thing.
That’s not what #13 said #15, no mention of the same as police and fire. As usual you are putting words in someone else’s mouth. Clearly you think $1 per household per day for a wonderful library is too much ? What’s wrong with you ? You are the broken record.
Seems like you have a crowding out problem with your budget
The library is open seven days a week, so it’s actually only 75 cents per household, per day, based on their 2014 budget request. My children use it all the time, they offer lots of activities and events for children, adults and seniors. We are lucky for Nancy and her staff, they do a wonderful job. Shame on all of the haters on this blog. Nasty, nasty, nasty.
7 days a week with the same demands as police and fire ? , really ?
So for 75 cents a day, #19 doesn’t want a Village library. Really ?
How many “unique” visits are there per month? Count the people who fo for story hour, training and ESL once.
I would bet that there are a few people who go often. I get everything that I need online or ebooks. I do not know anyone who frequents the library. It is not used by a broad group of residents They need a new vision of what a library should be.
The high school is turning theirs into a wifi/coffee shop.
#19, the post above says the library is asking for $2.32 million (5% of the total). The budget requests for public safety are over $13 million (28% of the total). What are you talking about ?
The budget requests for the combined public safety departments as a percentage of total budget are well in line with those of other towns that have a career fire suppression organization. The library however is over funded in comparison to other communities. No matter which way you slice it, the library has gotten more than its fair share. As a previous post so eloquently put it, what good does it do to have a multi million dollar operation that you can not get to because the streets are so poorly maintained?
So the police can’t get in and out of the same entrance used by the Library ? Huh ? You are being sensationalist #22. Having a paid fire suppression organization is a luxury that many surrounding towns don’t have, either. You know this. Why is it that you want to keep raising taxes on residents but begrudge them a Library for 75 cents a day ? You are also opposed to the BoE budget, why is that ? Why do you hate teachers so much ? Could it be that all of the growth in the Village budget goes to pays wages, pensions & healthcare which benefit you ? Tell us, which is it ?