Westwood Council Members Recommend $9,000 Cut to Library Budget

When members of the Westwood governing body went through the municipal budget line by line Wednesday night, they suggested cuts to several areas, including a $9,000 reduction for the library.

Borough Auditor Gary Vinci gave council members an overview of the budget. He said officials would have to consider changing the policy of using just 50 percent of the surplus in order to close the budget gap. Before making cuts, the borough was $600,000 over the tax levy cap.

To make cuts, council members went through the spending plan line by line seeing where expenses could be reduced. One area they said could be cut was the library budget. To allow the to participate in the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS), it must be funded by one-third of a mill on every dollar of assessable property or increase funding by 15 percent.

In the budget plan discussed Wednesday, the amount for the library was $759,000, the same level as 2010. Vinci said the required one-third of a mill funding for the library as part of BCCLS is about $680,000.

Councilwoman Cynthia Waneck said she believed the library budget shoould be cut because it is being funded at a higher level than is required and because the library has proposed 3 percent salary increases for employees. Borough employees not under a contract will receive a 2 percent pay increase.

"If we have to really cut $600,000, this is a place where we can make a very large cut," Waneck said.

Other council members agreed and recommended cutting the library budget to $750,000 for the year.

"Basically that’s all we can afford moving forward," said Mayor John Birkner Jr.

Chief Financial Officer Raymond Herr said if the governing body decides to go to the 2 percent tax levy cap allowed by law, taxes would increase $31 for the year for the average assessed home.

Council members said they would introduce the budget at the council meeting Tuesday. Herr said he would have everything in order.

"For purposes of introducing the budget, if we are short, which we will be, I will take the money from the surplus to balance the budget for the introduction," Herr said. "This still leaves us over a month to make additional changes."

The budget is scheduled to be introduced during the council meeting Tuesday, March 15 at 8 p.m. in the , 101 Washington Ave.