Princeton Carries Highest Library Funding In NJ. Officials Say It's Time to Ask Harder Questions

PRINCETON, NJ - Princeton municipal officials and the Princeton Public Library remain at an impasse over a proposed $149,000 budget increase, with the town suggesting the library end its longtime free parking benefit for cardholders as a way to close the gap.

The impasse is not new, but has been in the making for a while.

At the Council's April 14, 2025 meeting, Mayor Mark Freda, who represents the municipality on the library board, told library leadership directly: "I told the director and the chair of the board that we — the town — cannot continue to shoulder that kind of burden year after year, and that next year would be a very different story," according to previous Patch reporting.

By fall 2025, Freda formally conveyed to library leadership that no operating budget increase should be expected for 2026 and asked the library to plan accordingly, according to a statement issued by the Mayor and Council.

Library budget increases have averaged 4.75 percent annually in recent years, with the exception of one COVID-era year. Despite that guidance, the library submitted a 3 percent increase request — approximately $149,000, the statement said.

The library was already contending with mounting financial pressure. In January, the Board of Trustees approved a budget that included a one-hour daily reduction in library hours beginning Jan. 12 and cuts to on-demand streaming services, Patch reported. The library eliminated the Kanopy video streaming service and restricted Hoopla checkouts to three per patron per month, effective Feb. 1. Those changes were driven in part by a 36.5 percent increase in state-mandated staff insurance premiums, as well as rising costs for building maintenance, utilities, and digital platforms amid growing visitor traffic.

"The library's 2026 budget required finding cost savings that would have the least impact on service," library Executive Director Jennifer Podolsky said in January. "While our operating hours and streaming services will be changing, our role as a valued community resource remains the same."

The council statement noted the town did not suggest or encourage the hour reductions.

The library is Princeton's third-largest municipal expenditure, behind only the Police Department and Public Works/Sewer. The town's total proposed library funding for 2026 is $4.98 million — including a dedicated library tax levy of $3.82 million, representing 8.86 percent of the total municipal tax levy, plus an additional $1.15 million from the municipal operating budget. That brings the library's overall share of the tax levy to approximately 11.5 percent, or about $600 annually for the average household, according to the council statement.

Beyond direct funding, the town subsidizes 50 employee parking permits at the Spring Street garage at an estimated cost of $108,000 annually, and underwrites the library's two-hour free parking validation system at $150,000 per year — neither figure included in the proposed budget totals, the statement said.

At the library's Board of Trustees meeting last week, municipal officials presented two parking-related options for closing the $149,000 gap, according to TAPinto. Under the first, the library would end free two-hour parking for all cardholders at the adjacent Spring Street garage — owned and operated by the town — and the municipality would increase the library's budget by $149,000. Under the second option, the library would retain free parking for Princeton residents only, eliminating it for non-residents, with the municipality increasing funding by approximately $50,000.

Municipal officials said they held extensive discussions with library leadership, including a two-hour working session in March, exploring options including fundraising, strategic use of endowment funds, operational efficiencies, and revenue enhancements. Both sides agreed the municipality would collect parking validation data — but after last Friday's library board meeting, the board indicated it no longer wished to discuss those options, according to the council statement.

The library also holds an endowment of more than $17 million, from which it draws approximately 4.5 percent annually, used exclusively for collections and programs rather than general operations — a discretionary decision made by the Library Friends and Foundation, the council statement said. Last week, the Friends and Foundation distributed an advocacy mailer requesting the 3 percent budget increase.

The library's Board of Trustees issued a statement Monday saying it would continue working with the Council.

"Our top priority is to ensure that everyone in our growing and dynamic community can easily access Princeton Public Library's resources," the board said. "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."

On the parking question, the board added: "Decisions about municipal parking services are the Town Council's prerogative. 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 council statement described Princeton's municipal support for its public library as the highest in New Jersey and said it "appears unmatched nationally."

“The Municipality fully recognizes and values the library’s vital role in the community and takes pride in its contributions. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure fiscal fairness for taxpayers and to ask the difficult but necessary questions that come with that responsibility,” the statement read.

Princeton Council is expected to vote on the 2026 budget at its April 27 meeting.

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