8. The option for reorganization of the county library system provided in this section shall be known as the “Tax Base Sharing Option,” and shall be available only to any county in which revenues from the dedicated county library tax established pursuant to R.S.40:33-9 or P.L.1977, c.300 (C. 40:33-15 et seq.) have been derived from less than 75% of the total assessed property of the county in the calendar year prior to the establishment of the county library study commission. This option shall govern the county library system of any qualified county whose voters have adopted it pursuant to section 5 of this act.

a. The governing body of the county shall annually determine a sum sufficient to distribute among certain municipalities and the county according to the following formula:

A = CBS + CRS + LRS where: A is the total tax pool to be distributed; CBS is the county base share and is determined as .0000666 X the apportionment valuation of the county; CRS is the county residual share and is determined as (A-CBS) X .60; and LRS is the local residual share and is determined as (A-CBS) X .40.

The county base share (CBS) shall be appropriated to the county library which shall receive no funds from the library tax provided for in R.S.40:33-9 or from the library tax established in P.L.1977, c.300 (C. 40:33-15 et seq.). The local residual share (LRS) shall be distributed among those municipalities not members of the county library system on January 1, 1982. Each such municipality shall be apportioned an amount of those revenues in a proportion equal to the proportion which that municipality’s apportionment valuation is of the apportionment valuation of all such municipalities. Any municipality receiving revenues from the tax base sharing option provided in this section shall appropriate those funds directly to the board of trustees of any library within its borders funded by the municipality in the calendar year prior to the reorganization of the county library system.

b. For each year following the reorganization of the county library system, the county library distribution (CBS + CRS) from the formula established in subsection a. of this section shall not be less than the appropriation made to the county library in the calendar year immediately prior to the reorganization of the county library system; provided, however, that in the first calendar year following the reorganization of the county library system, the county library shall receive an appropriation not less than an amount equal to the appropriation made to the county library in the calendar year preceding the reorganization of the system and not more than an amount equal to the prior year’s appropriation plus 10% of that appropriation.

In each year following the reorganization of the county library system, the governing body of any municipality not a member of the county library system shall appropriate to any library in the municipality which was funded by the municipality prior to the reorganization of the county library system a sum of money not less than the average appropriation made to such libraries in the three years occurring immediately prior to the reorganization of the county library system. The governing body shall also provide any in-kind benefits or the cash equivalent thereof, which were provided to such libraries during that preceding period.

c. The county library shall receive State aid as provided in the “State Library Aid Law” (N.J.S. 18A:74-1 et seq.) based on expenditures from the total appropriation from the tax base sharing option made to the county library and the total resident population of the county. Any library located within a municipality not a member of the county library system shall receive State aid as provided in the “State Library Aid Law” based on expenditures from the total appropriation made to the library from the municipality and from the portion of the local residual share received by the municipality as provided in subsection a. of this section. Any municipality which is a member of the county library system and which supports a library shall receive State aid as provided in the “State Library Aid Law” based on the total appropriation made by the municipality for library purposes.

d. The county library shall make all of its patron services available to all residents of the county. For the purpose of this act “patron services” means services rendered by a library directly to patrons as distinguished from those services rendered to other libraries. Patron services shall include circulation of library materials, reference assistance, and public programs.

e. A municipality which maintains a municipal public library within the county shall not dissolve its municipal public library for a period of two calendar years from the effective date of the reorganization of the county library system.

f. The county library commission may offer a service contract for library services to any municipality within the county for any library services performed by the county library. Any such contracts shall conform to the contracts established in section 7 of this act.

g. The county library study commission shall remain in existence for one calendar year after the effective date of such reorganization. It shall be the responsibility of the commission to evaluate the tax base sharing option and to determine if the appropriation for the county library system is sufficient to provide patron services to all residents of the county and that such services are in compliance with standards promulgated by the State Library for such libraries. The commission shall make a report of its findings to the county governing body within one calendar year of the reorganization of the county library system.

L.1981,c.489,s.8; amended 2001, c.137, s.49.