UPDATE: Overdue for Repairs, Library a Key Issue in Budget Spending Talks

As borough officials formulate the 2012 municipal budget, the governing body continues to wrestle with the issue of how to fund the capital needs of the .

At Monday night’s Borough Council meeting at , elected officials heard that benefactor Friends of the Madison Public Library was successful in raising $70,000 in its annual appeal, but that more is needed.

The funds will go to support the Library’s collection and programs but not day-to-day operations, Friends Chairman Maureen Byrne told the meeting.

“We cannot take on fundraising for operations,” Byrne said. “The Library is a jewel, something everyone in town should be proud of, and Council should support it in the manner to which we’ve become accustomed.”

The Library’s new website, at madisonnjlibrary.org, is now open, funded by donations collected by the Friends.

Tom Bintinger, president of the Library’s Board of Trustees, presented a revised five-year capital plan.

The Borough must adopt a 2012 budget by April 20, or the first meeting of the governing body thereafter.

The plan formulated by the library’s Building and Grounds Committee calls for capital spending of $118,000 in 2012, $43,000 in 2013, $39,000 in 2014, and $392,000 in 2015, and $116,000 in 2016, for a total of about $708,000.

The 2015 figure accounts for needed repairs to the roof and replacement of the outdated air conditioning system for the building, constructed in 1969.

Bintinger noted that safety is a primary concern in the revised plan. He added that the roof, which leaks in some areas but is under warranty until 2015, is excluded from any large-scale improvements.

“We have a volunteer architect looking at and making recommendations  for when warranty period expires,” said Bintinger, a retired partner at accountant Deloitte & Touche, who called the revision “a good plan.”

Bintinger said Library officials this past week signed a contract with Princeton consultant Library Development Solutions, which will work on the strategic planning process.

As part of the process, Bintinger said that the Library would be looking for representation from focus groups, the borough and principal stakeholders.

“One of the questions,” said Mayor Robert Conley, “is does the five-year plan fit into the borough’s five-year capital spending plan?”

Bintinger said he didn’t know, especially if the Library is developed as a cultural center, as some have suggested.

Council member Robert Catalanello said that the Library spending as proposed "may not be possible," since the borough’s aging infrastructure, such as sewers, are in need of immediate attention. He again brought up the possibility of raising taxes to cover library improvements.

“That’s why it is so important for people to come to the budget meetings,” Catalanello said. “We have to think outside the box on this one. We may have to raise taxes — something I am not in favor of — but  that is one option.”

Editor's Note: This update clarifies the role of Library Development Solutions.