Princeton Public Library trustees issue statement about parking garage issue and budget
Proposed municipal funding for the library has been kept flat in the 2026 budget, even though health insurance costs and other expenses have risen.
The Princeton Public Library Board of Trustees issued a statement Monday afternoon, April 20, addressing the library’s 2026 budget and a proposal by the Princeton Council finance committee to eliminate free two-hour parking at the Spring Street Garage in exchange for providing the library with the $149,000 it needs to balance its budget.
The proposal has intensified debate over library funding, public access, and the future of a longtime downtown parking benefit used by library patrons. Under the current system, library cardholders can park in the Spring Street Garage for up to two hours at no cost if their parking is validated at the library.
Municipal officials presented trustees with options tied to parking changes as the town works to finalize its 2026 budget. One option would end validated parking for all library cardholders and generate the full $149,000 needed by the library. A second option would eliminate the benefit only for out-of-town cardholders and would provide $50,000 in additional funding. The issue was discussed at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees on Wednesday, April 15.
In a letter that was read at an emergency trustee meeting Friday, the trustees were given until April 20 to respond to the proposal. The board did not take formal action at the meeting.
Planet Princeton has requested copies of the letter but has not received one so far. The reporter has filed a public records request seeking a copy of the letter. The reporter also asked the library for copies of notes from the two meetings last week and was told they would not be available until the minutes are approved on May 20. The library trustee meetings are recorded. Planet Princeton has filed another public records request for those recordings.
“Our top priority is to ensure that everyone in our growing and dynamic community can easily access Princeton Public Library’s resources,” the library trustees said in their Monday statement. “The Board supports solutions that balance broader municipal priorities with the community’s need for convenient library access. We’re continuing to work constructively with the Town Council on this issue to support that goal so we can safely staff and maintain the library building to continue to serve thousands of people each day.”
The board also emphasized that it does not control parking policy at the municipal garage. Trustees noted that decisions about parking services are made by the Princeton Council.
“Decisions about municipal parking services are the Town Council’s prerogative,” the statement said. “Any changes that affect access need to be evaluated thoroughly to ensure that all community members can benefit from library services now and in the future.”
The parking issue has surfaced before. In 2015, a proposal to eliminate the free parking benefit prompted public backlash, and officials ultimately kept the program in place. Parking access was also part of broader discussions in the past about whether the library should remain downtown or move to a site with more convenient parking.
The latest debate comes as Princeton considers an $84.8 million proposed municipal budget for 2026 with a 7% spending increase. Municipal officials have cited rising health insurance costs, salary increases, and debt service as key drivers of municipal spending growth. Despite those pressures, the municipality is keeping library funding flat.
Earlier this year, the library reduced hours because of rising costs, and library officials have said further cuts may be necessary without the additional $149,000.
It seems the mayor and town council have decided, of their own prerogative, to cripple the library with 0% increases which are effectively annual funding cuts in this inflationary environment. How about asking the citizens which town services they value most and budget accordingly?
I’ll give you an example, someone spent (wasted) taxpayer dollars on a bike study and wasted more money painting part of Harrison street green (I kid you not) and then installed poles taking away one lane of traffic in front of the Princeton Shopping Center. Do these new bike lanes ever get used? I traverse that road 4-6x/day and in the four months or so since those lanes have been set up I have seen one – that’s right one – person use the bike lane. How many citizens in vehicles have been inconvenienced in the meantime? I’d wager it’s thousands – per day! Not to mention the wasteful misuse of taxpayer resources for this eyesore. Those were funds that could readily have been allocated to the library, and that’s just one example.
What the mayor and town council refuse to acknowledge is that our library is a central meeting place – warm in the cold winter months, cool in the hot summer months – for all who want to take a respite and sit down with their laptops or even pick up a few books off of the shelf and just read. It’s a place where kids flock after school and on weekends to do their homework in a quiet, comfortable, and safe environment while writing papers, working with others on group projects and labs, or just taking the time to pick up a book and let their minds wander. Much like Community Park pool, it’s a hub of activity but in this case it’s year-round and it’s one of those features that makes Princeton uniquely Princeton.
Maybe the Mayor and town council could endeavor to explore the entirety of the budget, like I have, since it’s not hard to find more money for the library. Sure, we’ll have to cut some pet projects – but those impact very few citizens and likely should be cut. We’ll also have to revisit staffing in some areas and perhaps share administrative staff and/or revisit who carries the contract for town employee health insurance coverage. Yes, I’m aware of Aon’s mismanagement of the State Health Benefit Program and it’s why some municipalities are considering leaving the plan – are we?
Meanwhile, for a township that values nature and green space why are all of our public-run vehicles internal combustion? And why do we keep purchasing more of them? These carry higher operating costs, higher maintenance costs, and higher repair costs than their electric equivalents. That feels wasteful when times are tough. Princeton University has actively moved towards a green fleet for many of these same reasons. While we may not share the University’s resources, their leadership here is something we should take notice of.
Finally, there is accountability. Making the library a scapegoat for our failure to plan properly – yes, I’m talking about the botched due diligence at the Westminster Choir campus resulting in “surprise” expenses that should have surprise no one – isn’t the answer for our townships and citizens. The town council should consider cutting consultants and other extraneous spending while seeking the direct input of taxpayers on where we would like our resources allocated.
It’s not your money, it’s OUR money, and we want our library properly funded.
The list of reckless spending by Princeton Council is long. The new green town buses. What is ridership at a fee of hundreds of thousands of dollars for town bus service? I saw one woman exit into McCaffrey in all the years here. The rest of the time the bus(es) are empty. Another $42,000,000 for Westminster and $15,000,000 for the Witherspoon upgrade. Did Council ask any taxpayer if these huge expenses are where residents wanted their hard-earned tax dollars spent? I have also seen only one bicyclist on Harrison using the green bike lane. Harrison Street diet for one. Council wants a new building for the Board of Education (originally the BOE proposed new buildings on Thanet but then needed $100,000,000+ in referendums and rethought that spending on a new building would be a bad look). Council for years wanted to make the library a hub for migrants and unhoused people and are turning their attention to Westminster. Do you think it will haven a fancy free laundromat? I doubt residents want all resources funneled into these wasteful pet projects while Council holds the library hostage. Leighton Newlin and Council should ask Princeton University to increase payment to the town instead of just settling for millions with Councilman Newlin and his lawsuit against the university (that PU should be paying more taxes to town!) Height of hypocrisy!! Yale just agreed to pay New Haven $230,000,000. Princeton Council is weak and all too cozy with the University. Not representing the taxpayers but favoring deals with developers.
So, speaking of pet projects, we had 4 rubber speed bumps on Grover Ave for a few months and one given day, workers started taking them down. For the love of God, I couldn’t find anything related to the speed bumps on the municipality website. Was that a “study”? What was the conclusion? Are they needed? Are they coming back? Will they be rubber or asphalt? Our family is ok with them, perhaps 2 are enough, but in any case they were welcome. I am mentioning this as an example of something that happened, came and went with no explanation but with cost when putting them in and when taking them down. A flyer to the neighbors on Grover Ave letting us know would have been very much appreciated.
About those bike lanes that start somewhere before Clearview Ave and abruptly end a little beyond Terhune Rd, I have not seen bicycle riders using them either. Oh, well, I am sure those lanes have made council members happy and proud.
The free bus, seems like a good thing and I hope people take advantage of it, but has it been promoted? Please, don’t assume everybody has a smartphone or a laptop, or that they follow social media. Senior citizens might prefer the schedule in paper, are those available and where can they be found? Is somebody taking care of this?
Now, the library and council’s inability to find the $$$ needed this year to fund it. Seriously??? You can’t make this stuff up. The library is a meeting point, there are activities for all ages, there are computers that students can use, it is the place where students sit with their tutors and learn the subjects. It has “saved” us during electric blackouts, when it’s too hot and when it’s too cold. The library is a quiet cozy place that screams community. Public libraries are towns’ gems and knowing how health care costs have increased, you still want to keep it flat? You got to be kidding me.
The financial situation of the municipality must be dire when we hear that the $149,000 increase for the library budget can’t be met; when they are thinking of charging for extra security during events and protests and for cleaning up afterwards, it screams of desperation, “we need money!!!!!”. It doesn’t look pretty.
Still, potholes and sidewalks must be fixed, we do not a new kiosk, we do not need bike lanes, and we do not want more consultants. More money from Princeton University and less advantages and tax breaks for developers, that we do want. This town attracts plenty of people, developers will be fine, the university will be fine.
Council needs members without conflicts of interest and with business acumen so they can determine what the actual priorities are, what cuts are needed, what departments to consolidate, etc., members who can come clean and inform their constituents of the financial situation of the town. And, please, we need council members with a tad of humbleness who can accept the recommendations of more than one Princetonian who would happily share his/her expertise at no cost!
Elections are coming soon. Meet the candidates. Vote.
There are people protesting in Princeton. Why aren’t they protesting the Kings of Princeton Council imposing high taxes and then spending the money any way they want without regard to resident taxpayer wishes? Someone should start a site and list where taxes are spent. It would shock the taxpayer to know the parking meter vehicles are $70,000 EACH. An armored truck service to bring meter money to the bank is $100,000. The town bought a specialty cleaning machine to maintain the pervious pavers of $15,000,000 Witherspoon Street fame; affordable housing residents can apply for money to renovate their homes ($12,000+ for one renovation), the conflict of Council member Mia Sacks regarding Board of Education funfing while sending her own kid to Princeton Charter; the town engineer awarding contracts to former firms where she worked; the bribery of public works employees permitting illegal dumping at public works, which then taxpayers are paying/paid to clean up because it was contaminated; town building a structure around the municipal gas station by the new firehouse, which had to be demolished (at taxpayer cost) because it was then discovered to be too high per town ordinance. Protest Council Kings. Vote. Please don’t vote for an architect whose hideous structures are ruining neighborhoods throughout Princeton. Just because it has an AUD it has to be ugly to even drive by? Pay attention people. At your expense the Kings of Council are importing the city into your beautiful suburb one layer at a time.
Agree with the sentiments shared above…how do we change the direction this Council and Town is heading? Elect council people who are fiscally responsible and who are not driving their own agendas, including prospective candidates with financial ties to these agendas! Oh and did I just see yet a new litigation now the headline on nj.com just today that taxpayers will need to fund because Council has a tunnel Vision Pro-density agenda and refuses to truly listen to constituency voices that don’t share in it!! Let your vote start waking these people up!