Council Grills Library Officials Over Shuttered Branch, Rising Salaries

Marta Reyes walked past the Five Corners Branch Library last Tuesday, plastic grocery bags in hand, and stopped cold. The door was locked. A sign taped to the glass said the building was closed due to maintenance issues. Her seven-year-old daughter, Lucia, had been hoping to pick up a new book for her school project. Now, they’d have to walk another mile to a different branch.

That moment — a parent and child turned away from a neighborhood library — captured something bigger than a single broken pipe. It reflected a growing tension between Jersey City’s leaders and the institution meant to serve its people.

On Friday, at a budget hearing for the Jersey City Free Public Library, City Council members fired questions at library officials. The main topics: maintenance problems at the recently shuttered Five Corners Branch and rising staff salaries.

The Five Corners Branch closed unexpectedly in mid-September after a burst pipe caused flooding and mold. Library officials told the council the building needs major repairs — new flooring, new drywall, a full HVAC inspection — and they don’t yet have a timeline for reopening. The council wanted to know why the branch wasn’t maintained before the failure.

Then came the salaries. According to budget documents reviewed at the hearing, the library’s payroll has grown by nearly 12 percent over the last two years. Council members pressed officials on whether those numbers reflect reasonable increases for staff or unnecessary bloat. Several council members pointed out that library directors and managers saw especially large raises.

Library officials defended the increases. They said they needed to attract and retain qualified professionals, especially in a competitive job market. They also noted that many staffers earn modest wages — the average librarian in Jersey City makes just over $50,000 a year — and that the overall budget increase tracked with citywide salary trends.

Councilman James Solomon put it plainly during the hearing: “Residents are asking us why their tax dollars are going to salary bumps while their local library is padlocked. We need an honest answer.”

For Hudson County residents, especially those in Jersey City’s west side, the Five Corners closure hits close to home. That branch served a dense, walkable neighborhood where many families don’t have cars. The closest alternative, the Heights Branch, is a 20-minute bus ride away. For seniors who rely on walking sticks or parents pushing strollers, that’s a real barrier.

Around the county, other library systems are watching. Hoboken recently opened a renovated branch on Grand Street. Bayonne is planning upgrades to its main library. The question hovering over Jersey City is whether the library’s budget — proposed at $24 million this year — is being spent in the right places.

Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey told library officials she’d like to see a detailed maintenance plan for all branches, not just Five Corners. “We can’t keep fixing things after they break,” she said.

Library Board President Gloria Simmons pledged to present a maintenance schedule before the council’s next budget vote in November. She also said the board would review salary policies to ensure transparency. “We hear the community’s concerns,” Simmons said. “Our goal is to serve them well.”

What comes next? The council will hold a second budget hearing in late October. By then, library officials need to deliver that maintenance plan and a clearer breakdown of salary spending. If the council isn’t satisfied, it could cut the library’s budget request — which would mean further delays for repairs or potential layoffs.

For now, Marta Reyes is checking the library’s website every morning, hoping for news that Five Corners will reopen soon. She’s not alone. Many neighbors have written to the council, asking the same question: When can we get our library back?