Princeton Council and library reach last minute deal to restore $75K in funding
The Princeton Public Library and the Princeton Council have reached a last-minute agreement that will spare the library from making an additional $149,000 in cuts to programming or other expenses this year.
The proposed reductions and recent criticism of the library had angered many residents, who voiced outrage over the possibility of further cuts to Princeton’s central community hub. The library had already reduced its hours in response to the cuts, but still had to close the $149,000 budget gap.
Just hours before what had been expected to be a standing-room-only council budget hearing, a municipal public relations employee issued a press release containing a joint statement from the council and library announcing the deal.
“As part of this plan, the Municipality will increase its contribution by $75,000. The Library will help offset these costs by restructuring its employee parking permits, reducing the total number by 10,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, the library will close the remaining $75,000 gap through fundraising and other revenue-generating efforts.
“Both the Municipality and the Library value the strong partnership they share. The Municipality is proud to support the Library and the high-quality programs and services it provides to the community,” the joint statement said. “At the same time, PPL recognizes the importance of fiscal responsibility and the Municipality’s obligation to taxpayers.”
Council President Michelle Pirone Lambros, who serves on the council’s finance committee that had proposed eliminating the two hours of free parking for library patrons at the Spring Street Garage, called the agreement “a thoughtful and balanced solution that reflects both our commitment to the Library and our responsibility to taxpayers.”
“We’re pleased to have worked collaboratively to reach an outcome that supports the entire community,” Lambros said.
Christopher Van Buren, president of the library’s board of trustees, said he was grateful for the partnership with the municipality “in ensuring the library remains a vital and welcoming resource for all.”
“This agreement allows us to sustain the programs, services, and access our community depends on every day,” Van Buren said.
While it’s encouraging to see the immediate situation resolved, we haven’t addressed the underlying problem at all.
PILOTs are depriving the township of necessary revenue for our public schools and associated services. We should cancel all outstanding agreements and assess property taxes to, you know, property. That will restore a level of tax fairness in town and provide funding commensurate with the increase in population brought on through new developments across town.
Library funding shouldn’t be held to annual cuts. Yes, 0% changes in budget year-over-year are real cuts in an inflationary environment. Library budgets should be indexed to inflation.
We should revisit pet projects of council members and consider cancelling them all unless those council members choose to raise private funding that covers the full development and maintenance expenses with a margin of error so the burden does not fall on taxpayers. Yes, I’m looking at the painted green road in front of the Princeton Shopping center and the Witherspoon street “renovation” which was a gross misuse of taxpayer funds. I’m also looking at the botched diligence on the Westminster Choir property and lack of transparency into the town’s plans for the parcel. It would also seem the Valley Road parcel run by the public schools is underutilized and could perhaps be repurposed with school administrative functions moving to the Westminster Choir property adjacent to the middle and high schools and which we now own. Paying heat, water, and maintenance on two underutilized structures feels wasteful in this time of austerity – we don’t need consultants and studies to figure this out. Make the call, get it done.
Similarly, we can take advantage of common sense measures on the revenue side such as increasing fees on buses and parking tickets along with aggressive enforcement of speed limits on our roadways. Despite the lower limit on Nassau Street, average traffic speeds remain unchanged. When I drive 25mph I’m getting tailgated every time.
Finally, in an era of escalating costs, I’d advocate for zero-based budgets instead of looking at year to year changes.
We can do all of these things together and continue to invest in what makes our town an amazing place to live, but we need everyone to pitch in their fair share and eliminate wasteful spending to make it happen.
This shows how necessary is the pressure of the constituents when important issues are dealt with.
This is why exercising your right and privilege of voting is the only way of electing government officials who understand that their work is for the people who elect them, not to please developers, not to please their friends, not to obsess about projects that are not a priority ( kiosk, bicycle lanes used by nobody, etc), not to feel themselves important.
Council members need to have actual business acumen, be free of conflict of interests, have humility to accept constructive criticism and recommendations/ideas from others, have their priorities straighten and show unwavering will to fight for what they truly believe is the right thing for the town even if that upset their friends and social circle.
Elections are coming. There is a primary and there is November.
Two council seats.
Local issues are the ones that affect you and your pockets, vote accordingly.