Franklin Lakes July 20, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Mayor wants library to return excess funds by Frank J. McMahon Franklin Lakes Mayor Frank Bivona, who is a member of the borough’s library board of trustees, wants the library board to return its surplus funds to the borough’s taxpayers in accordance with a recently enacted state law. According to Bivona, the New Jersey Legislature enacted a state law in December 2010 that requires municipal libraries to return excess library funds to the municipality for taxpayer relief and yet the library board approved the transfer of over $1 million in surplus funds to a restricted account for capital improvements and contingencies, leaving only about $37,000 available to be returned to the borough under the new statute. He said his vocal and written requests to the library board to return the excess funds to the borough have met with opposition, and the board has now hired a consultant at an estimated cost of $20,000, funded with monies that would have been eligible to be returned to borough taxpayers. Bivona pointed out that the borough’s current funding of the library is the highest in the Bergen County Cooperative Library System and six times the average per capita funding in the county, even though 30 to 40 percent of the users of the borough’s library are non-residents. He reminded the borough council at a recent work session that the borough funded over $2.3 million of the $3.6 million expansion and renovation of the library in 2002 and 2003 through the issuance of bonds and use of the borough’s capital improvement fund. “So the library has a big surplus and the borough has $2.3 million in debt,” Bivona said. During the expansion and renovation, Bivona emphasized that the borough continued to provide the statutorily required funding to the library for its operation, while the library saved a lot in operating expenses. He explained that the library was closed during that time, creating a lot of surplus which, he said, reached the $1.3 million in the library’s unrestricted surplus after six years of operation. Bivona said he has been trying to get the library board of trustees to return that surplus to the borough without success and he wants to take whatever action is necessary to enforce a recent state law that requires municipal libraries to return excess library funds to the municipality for taxpayer relief. Saying he believes the library’s current building and its grounds are of the highest quality and state of repair, Bivona said, “They do a wonderful job.” However, he emphasized that should not stop the council from making sure the surplus money is used in the proper way. Bivona asked the council to pass a resolution that would object to the restriction of these excess funds to capital expenses and “to take all the necessary steps to get this money back.” Some employees at Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff recently participated in National Take Your Dog to Work Day. Pictured are Karen Hockstein, publications director and resident of Montclair, with her Yorkshire terrier, Kipsy; and Karen Van Ostenbridge, centennial events coordinator and resident of Franklin Lakes, with her Havanese, Charlie. It’s a dog’s life