![]() MPL, founded in 1923, has developed programming and services to serve the whole community. Mamaroneck, a suburb of New York City, is known for its diverse residents and wide range of income brackets. Last December, voters approved a 6 percent increase. MPL is an independent library district, created by the state in 1991, and raises operating expenses through an annual tax levy. The job now, Freeman added, is to reduce costs, raise money to pay back the TAN, and start work on the 2024–25 budget, which goes before Mamaroneck voters in December. ![]() “I didn’t think this was going to be my full-time job, but it’s turned into one.” “The burden of that is certainly on our shoulders,” Ellen Freeman, president of MPL’s board of trustees, told LJ. Another priority, reinforced by village officials, is to establish tighter accounting controls to prevent a repeat of this fiscal meltdown a plan for future oversight is in progress. Nawrocki Smith LLP, a forensic auditor, has been retained and is preparing a report on exactly how the library found itself in this situation. A committee made up of board members and Mamaroneck residents with accounting expertise is poring over line-item expenses, looking for savings. The teen room has been closed until further notice. The village, by law, can’t bail them out.īelt-tightening is also in evidence. In April, Village of Mamaroneck officials came up with $1.4 million in stopgap funding that kept the library open- rumors of imminent closure were rampant-but MPL will need to pay back the TAN, including fees and interest, by July 2024. But it could assist in securing a tax anticipation note (TAN), basically a short-term loan from a private lender. By law, Murphy said, the village couldn’t write MPL a check or even lend it the money. Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy said library officials turned to him in March seeking emergency funding. There have been a lot of sleepless nights.” “This is a horrible situation,” O’Neill said. No other details were provided Freeman and O’Neill cannot comment on potential allegations. A spokesperson for Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah confirmed that there is an investigation in progress. Allegations have surfaced of possible misappropriation of funds stretching back years. The business manager, who was with MPL for some 20 years, resigned on March 22. But in January, the monthly report submitted by MPL’s longtime business manager unexpectedly showed almost no money in that fund to draw on. For years, the library has used cash reserves to balance its annual spending plans. MPL has been hit with a budget shortfall of an estimated $1.4 million, Director Jennifer O’Neill told LJ. The overall goal, however, is $1.4 million. “Your help is urgently needed.” The donor scroll reveals a series of incoming pledges: $25, $100, a couple for $500. “Please help save Mamaroneck Public Library,” it states. Visitors to the website for the Mamaroneck Public Library (MPL), NY barely need to scroll down the home page before seeing a highly visible prompt to Donate, which links to a site urging small-dollar contributions. Photo by Mamaroneck Public Library via Wikipedia
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