The bill, A4505, died this month when the 211th session of the Legislature expired and the 212th began.
Van Drew, liaison to the county library when he was freeholder, said he would not reintroduce the bill until “the county and Avalon work together to formulate a plan that works for everyone.”
That’s unlikely. Freeholders Jan. 11 unanimously approved a resolution opposing A4505 and its companion Senate bill 2929, cosponsored by State Sen. Nick Asselta (R-1st). He could not be reached to comment.
The county resolution said A4505 was “inherently unfair” and “establishes bad public policy” because it damages county library systems.
In a letter to the editor published this week, Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi acknowledged the bill affects only communities with “low year-round population and high property valuation” and said only Avalon and Essex Fells Township in Essex County currently meet all the criteria in the bill because only they have municipal libraries.
But the county position is that, without the minimum local library tax, “ratable rich municipalities would be encouraged to withdraw from county systems.”
Stone Harbor Borough Council, for example, had discussed leaving the county library after Avalon took that step.
The county resolution said freeholders believe “a county library system is the best method to offer the highest quality of free public library services to all its residents, regardless of the level of property values of each of its municipalities.”
“County systems,” it said, “can save taxpayers money by lowering the tax rate below the minimum sum required of municipal systems.”
The county library tax rate this year is 2.9 cents; it can change yearly.
The county fears that, without the “economic incentive” of the minimum tax, ratable-rich island communities would start their own libraries and the more populous, mainland towns would have to go it alone.
Avalon voted 445-279 in October, 2002, to withdraw from the county library system. Its library, which serves the school and the community, opened last November.
With the boom in property values, its library tax will bring the borough some $1.8 million this year, which Pagliughi has called “more than we need.”
The borough hired a lobbyist last year to try to get the library law changed.
Contact Zelnik at jzelnik@cmcherald.com
