Library Takes Steps to Give Money Back to Township

The Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Monday in the Library’s Pio Costa Auditorium to review the library’s strategic plan, including its mission statement and vision statement, among other topics.

A review of the strategic plan is now mandated by the state before a library returns surplus funds to the municipality, to ensure that the library is acting prudently and not usurping funds.

Donald P. Kostka, assistant treasurer of the board, said that last year the library voluntarily gave the town $237,000, and this year planned on returning even more this year, regardless of state mandates.

“This will be the second return of money to the town,” he said. “Last year we returned about $237,000 to the town, and that was voluntary. We were one of only five libraries in the state of New Jersey to return any money on a voluntary basis. This year, because we’ve been running things so efficiently, what we’ve done is we’ve amassed quite a war chest of cash; it’s over $1.4 million. So, the state has a program that says all libraries have to return any surplus beyond 20 percent, and in our case the dollar amount is more than $1.4 million, so we’ve got that lined up.”

Although the board had passed a plan to turn the money over to the town 9-0 back in January, the state mandates it to follow certain requirements, many of which were addressed at Monday’s meeting.

“It’s almost crazy because on the one hand you have to do it, but on the other hand you have to do it according to the way the state has the process set up,” Kostka said. “So you’ve got all these archaic steps that you have to go through. Things are as clear as mud and what we’re trying to do is get all of our ducks lined up so that we can put this package together, send it down to the state so that the state says, 'okay you can turn this money over.' And we do it.”

Once approved, the library would turn the money over to the town in three checks.

“The money is there,” Board President Howard Chesler said. “We wouldn’t have to pay it out in one check, we could pay it out in three checks because the money is maturing, so that we can pay it out. It’s not like we have to worry about penalties or anything like that. So we’re further ahead of the game than most libraries are.”

The state mandated steps include a review of the library’s strategic plan, including its mission statement, vision statement, long-term goals and a technology plan.

The board voted on a revamped mission statement and vision statement, passing both 8-0, and also discussed the long-term goals and technology plan for the library, which will both be voted on in a special meeting on Wednesday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m.

“This is the formality and an example of the hoops that the state places in front of a municipality, to do what the municipality would otherwise do,” Kostka said. “The library has voted to give the money back to the town, 9-0. It was done back in January, but you have to follow these steps.”