Life And Real Estate in Salem County, NJ: Just What Is Going On With The Library??

Just What Is Going On With The Library??

I heard from one of my friends yesterday that there are some misconceptions about the Pennsville Library's budget.  It was very disheartening to me.

I am currently serving as the President of The Board of Trustees.  I've been on the Board since 1994.  That's a pretty long time.  That's A LOT of meetings over the years.  A quick calculation estimates that I've attended approximately 176 meetings over the years, representing The Pennsville Public Library.

I tell you this because I want you to have confidence that I have the facts.  I know the true situation.  It is quite frustrating to learn that some of our township's residents and businesses have decided to hold back their financial support because of misinformation and rumors.

Here is what I know:

The Library has enjoyed the support of Pennsville Township for over 70 years.  The township always supplied the necessary funds to run the Library.  Additionally, they provided health insurance for our three full-time employees.  For the 2008 - 2009 fiscal period, the Library was given $135,000.  With the additional financial help from 'The Friends of The Library', the operating budget was approximately $167,000, excluding the $58,000 cost of the health benefits.  In total, the funds needed to keep things running smoothly were $225,000.

In April of this year, the state of New Jersey, informed the township that there would be substancial cuts to all twenty-one muncipalities in the state.  Our local committeemen decided to cut the Library's budget 100%.  Yes, 100%.

After a few meetings, lots of phone calls, several newspaper articles and even a protest, the committeemen petitioned the state to reconsider it's position.  Eventually, Pennsville township voted to return $40,000 to The Library BUT did not vote to continue the health benefits for the three full time employees. 

The Board of Trustees made several critical decisions.  They decided to roll up their sleeves, get to work and save the Library for the residents of Pennsville as well as Salem County.  The Board decided to embark on an aggressive cost-cutting and fundraising effort.  We shifted into survival mode.

The budget of $167,000 was lowered to $109,000 over several months.  We halted all book purchases among other things.  A small group insurance policy was created to continue to supply health benefits to the employees.  The health benefits were secured at a cost of $14,904.  This reflects a savings of $43,096 for the benefits. 

The Board visited with an attorney in North Jersey who had extensive Library experience.  We had been gifted funds over the years that were earmarked by the donors for special projects.  We needed to know what, if any, of these funds we could utilize.  Some of these funds were not allowed to be used for the general budget. 

Once we had official, legal advice of how we could best use those funds, The Board then voted to contract Trinity Solar to install solar panels on our roof.  Our reasoning was to get rid of our very, very expensive electric bill each month.  The panels, although a large expense, were completely - 100% covered by donations. 100%.  (Our first electric bill to reflect the savings was only $81.00 instead of our usual $500.00.) 

Unfortunately, our long-term Director resigned during all of the turmoil.  This was a terrible blow to us all.  We regrouped, once again.  The Board regretfully decided to operate without a Director, temporarily, to save the salary and the cost of the health insurance.  This reflected an additional savings of approximately $52,968. 

Running the Library without a Director is just a short-term fix.  It is a terrible burden to the staff and possibly our patrons, too.  It cannot continue for very long.  We have lost our New Jersey Library Funding since we no longer have a full-time certified (Mastered Degreed in Library Sciences) Director.  Worse than that, we have no one who is specifically planning programs and searching for grants/opportunities. 

In the meantime, 'The Friends' were able to donate $10,000 and they continue their fundraising efforts.  What would we do without 'The Friends'?  They host flea markets, the Christmas Bazaar, bake cookies, host many events, book talks and programs and more!

The Board began fundraising in earnest:  Basket Bingos, fishing trips, bus trips, poinsettia sales, a GRAND Luau (spearheaded by local residents), a night out at McDonald's, raffles, an online shopping portal and now an affliation with 'Viridian Energy Suppliers' that offers savings on electric bills to residents while providing donations to The Library. Residents can stay informed and connected by joining our facebook page and marking our website as a favorite.

In 2011, there are plans for many, many more fundraisers.  The Board is working it's tail off, quite frankly.  Please keep in mind that this is a volunteer Board and over half of its members are still gainfully employed.  The Board has generously and selflessly given its time, energy and money.  (One of the Board members made a $5,000 donation for goodness sakes!)

Recently, we hired a fundraising coach to help us in some of these efforts.  He is not on salary.  He only gets a small percentage of the funds that he directly helps us to secure.  We needed additional help.  We found a trustworthy retired teacher/coach to fill this void.

I hope this information clearly shows the needs that we have:  we need volunteers to help with all of the fundraising efforts, 'The Friends' need more volunteers too, we need donations from residents, we need the support of our local businesses, we need your help.  We need everyone's help.

Please don't let rumors keep you from joining in and helping to Save YOUR Library.  Your neighbors need it now more than ever.  Usuage is at an all-time high.

The Board of Trustees meets every third Tuesday at 7pm.

The Friends of The Library meet every first Monday morning at 10:30 am

Fundraising meetings are scheduled as needed. 

You can reach The Library at 856-678-5473

You can reach me at 856-628-2710

Thank you very much for your consideration.