new jersey government structure & library funding streams john r. wallace, atlantic cape...
TRANSCRIPT
New Jersey Government
Structure & Library Funding StreamsJOHN R. WALLACE, ATLANTIC CAPE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
December 4,
2015
State Legislature
Capitol Building of New Jersey by TheVagabondVoyage / CC BY
• NJ Constitution (1947) established current government: Legislative, Executive, Judicial.
• 40 legislative districts with substantially equal population.
• Each District elects 1 State Senator and two Assemblymen/women.
Source: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/njmap210.html
State Legislature• Districts re-drawn every 10 years
according to Federal Census data.
• Legislative elections are held in the November of each odd-numbered year.
• Assembly terms are 2 years
• Senate terms are 4 years (except first term of the new decade).
State Legislature• Each Legislature runs for a term
of 2 years new term begins January of even-numbered years.
• All unfinished business expires at the end of the term and must be re-submitted.
• To become law, a bill must pass both houses and be signed by the Governor.
The New Jersey Assembly chamber in Trenton
by (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Following a Bill• NJ Office of Legislative Services • 1-800 792-8630• @OLS_Leginfo
• Bill Subscription Service
• Legislative Calendar
ABC’s School House Rock
Local Government• 21 Counties
• Board of Chosen Freeholders• Variety of roles and
structures• Can be 3, 5, 7, or 9
members
• 565 Municipalities • 5 types • Borough• Township• City• Town• Village
• 12 total forms
NBC Parks & Recreation’s own Ron Swanson
Funding Streams - Local• 94% of funding for public
libraries is raises through property taxes.
• All Municipal, Joint, and County libraries have a statutorily defined minimum level of funding based on a municipality or county’s property tax base.
• Funding varies throughout the State due to differences in local property values.
Money by 401(k) 2012 / CC BY
• County
• 12 of 14 County Libraries are supported by strictly the municipalities within the county that do not have their own municipal library.
• Sum is raised by taxation and must be no less that 1/15 of a mil per dollar (approximately $6.66 per $100,000) on the assessable property valuation of the municipalities in the county library system (N.J.S.A. 40:33-9).
Funding Streams - Local
• Municipal
• Municipal libraries are supported by local property taxes.
• A minimal level of funding for municipal libraries has been established at 1/3 of a mill on each dollar (about $33.33 per $100,000) of assessable property within the municipality based on the equalized valuation as certified by the Director of the Division of Taxation (N.J.S.A. 40:54-8).
• Increase to the library may be limited to 15% of the previous year’s municipal expenditure to the library
Funding Streams - Local
Funding – State Aid • Grant program provided by the Legislature and administered by
the NJ State Library.
• Per Capita State Aid, offered since the 1960’s, is the major State Aid program.
• Municipal and County libraries annually submit a report to qualify accordingly the regulation standards that include numbers of state certified librarians, operating hours, collections, and staff training (N.J.A.C. 15:21-2.3).
Funding – Network Aid
Funding – Capital • “Capital Projects” include acquisitions of land,
new structures and equipment estimated to be over $50,000.
• County The Board of Chosen Freeholders is empowered to and appropriate money for Capital Projects pursuant to Local Budget Law (N.J.S.A. 40A:4-1 et seq.) and may issue bonds according to the Local Bond Act (N.J.S.A. 40A:2-1 et seq.).
• Municipal Municipalities may do the same. “USACE continues construction…” by USACE Europe District / CC BY
Funding – Federal • Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) • Provides annual funding through the Library Services and
Technology Act (LSTA). • Access, coordination, literacy, workforce skills, preservation
• Each State receives an appropriation based on the base grant and population.
• IMLS funds are used in NJ to fund the NJ Talking Book and Braille Center, statewide ILL, technology and infrastructure.
Other Funding Streams • Grants
• IMLS (Sparks! Ignition Grant) • ALA• Private (Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation
• Fees, fines, and interest
• Gifts & Friends Groups
• Hustle
Thanks for listening!