TRENTON - In one of the first signs of the massive service cuts looming for the city, the Trenton Free Public Library is planning to close its four branch libraries next month and demote a majority of its employees.

The move echoes a crisis of 18 months ago, when the closing of the branches was averted only after the state allowed the library to reduce hours at the main downtown branch as a way to save money.
 

But library director Kimberly Matthews said an expected $1 million reduction in city funding and a cut in state assistance leaves the system with no other options this time but to close the branch doors.

"There's simply no fat left in our budget," Matthews said yesterday. "Unfortunately, these reductions all hit public services, because that's the only thing that's left. That's why we're seeing such a tremendous cut."

Mayor Tony Mack said yesterday he had heard that layoff notices were going out to library employees, but he sought to shift responsibility for the funding decision to the former administration of Mayor Douglas Palmer.

"Those things were done prior to us coming here," he said. "It's horrible. It's a sad day in the capital city. We're closing libraries and building jails. It sends the wrong message to the community, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep those libraries open."

However, given that the city faces a $43 million cut in state aid and is planning up to 400 layoffs of police, fire and other employees, Mack said he did not know yet if the city would be able to restore any library funding.

"All of our budget talks are about police and fire, finding a way to keep those departments at a staffing level that keeps our city safe," he said. "Clearly our No. 1 priority is public safety," he said.

Matthews said that after Aug. 14, the four branches -- Briggs, Cadwalader, East Trenton and Skelton -- will be closed. In partial compensation, starting Sept. 1, the main library on Academy Street will return to its old schedule of being open 60 hours a week, up from 40 currently.

The main library will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. In addition, the community room, computer lab, and Trentoniana research room will reopen, Matthews said.

Based on her discussions with acting business administrator Bill Guhl and other officials, Matthews said she expects the city's annual contribution to the independent library system to drop from $3.1 million to $2.1 million. Funding from the State Library will fall from more than $100,000 to less than $50,000, she said.

As a result, the Free Public Library's total budget is projected to shrink by more than a third in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, from $3.5 million to $2.3 million.

"I understood we were going to be facing some difficult times," Matthews said. "We are an autonomous organization that depends on the city for our funding, and therefore we have to be extremely responsible and forecast what our revenues will be."

Matthews said she and the library board discussed other options, such as closing only certain branches, but decided it was impossible to choose among them. In addition, some of the branches are deteriorating and would need "significant improvements" if they were to stay open, she said.

Board chairman Eric Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Matthews declined to say how many employees will lose their jobs, but she said 27 of the 42 library workers will be demoted or see their work hours reduced.

The previous closure plan, in 2008, brought an outcry from children and adults who use the libraries, eventually leading to the changes that allowed the branches to stay open.

Resident Kevin Moriarty started a foundation at the time that raised $17,000 for the library but shut down over a dispute with the library board. He said yesterday that he feared a new crisis would arise.

"It's a sad day for everyone in Trenton, kids as well as adults," he said. "The city missed a great opportunity. If the trustees had accepted the deal with the foundation a year ago, they could have had a mechanism in place to raise money to offset the worst effects of the budget cut."

The library director said she understood people would be upset by the closures.

"Certainly, we love our library. We know the citizens of Trenton love the library," Matthews said. "We want to encourage anyone and everyone who would like to have their voice heard, with the city council and the mayor, to feel free to speak out. As citizens, that's your right.

"However, it's extremely important for people to understand that this is a difficult time for the city as a whole and all city departments will be affected. The library does not feel it's being unfairly targeted. I believe we're facing the same budget reductions that everyone else in the city is facing," she said.

At the same time, she noted that the city's contribution to the library has not increased since 2005, and she said this past year was the first in at least a decade in which the library kept to its budget rather than running into a deficit.

"We are doing really well, and we are being extremely responsible with taxpayers' dollars," she said. "This is also another reason this is happening. We know it's coming and we need to be responsible and do our part."