N.J. Admin. Code § 15:21-5.4

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 15:21-5.4 - Project criteria

(a) All applications must meet the requirements and criteria of this subchapter. Requests for exception to the requirements and criteria must be made in writing to the State Librarian. Exception requests shall be evaluated based on the applicant's demonstration of hardship in meeting the criteria and on the applicant's effort to correct any difficulty in meeting the criteria.

(b) During the calendar year prior to submission of application, a municipal, joint or association library shall have received tax support at the level equal to at least 1/3 of a mill on every dollar of assessable property within such municipality based on the equalized valuation of such property as certified by the Director of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury. A county or regional library, during the calendar year prior to submission of application, shall have received tax support at the level equal to at least 1/15 of a mill on every dollar of the apportionment valuation.

(c) During the calendar year prior to submission of application, the library shall have met all criteria for receipt of State Library Aid (N.J.A.C. 15:21-2) or submit a plan detailing steps to meet all the criteria which is acceptable to the State Librarian.

(d) The applicant must be in possession of a fee simple title or such other estate or interest in the site, including access thereto, as is sufficient to assure undisturbed use and possession of the facilities for not less than 20 years. Ownership of site by the applicant includes ownership of the land by the municipality(ies) of the applicant or the county(ies) in the case of a county or regional library application, provided that such land has been formally dedicated to library use. In the case of an association library, title to the land and building shall be in the name of the municipality in which the library is located.

(e) The applicant must have local matching funds for the project (the difference between project costs and the potential grant award) before final approval can be given. Within three months following notification of eligibility for a grant award, evidence must be submitted that funds have been appropriated for financing of the project. Such evidence shall include copies of the ordinance of appropriation passed on final reading and approved.

(f) Floor space is meant to include total square footage of space available for public library purposes including outer walls, areas provided for mechanical equipment and maintenance requirements and storage. These areas must have heat, light and ventilation and square footage commensurate with their purposes.

1. The estimated population 10 years after the year in which application is made shall be used to determine the population base of the area served by the applicant library. For areas experiencing a population decline, the population estimate of the New Jersey Department of Labor for one year prior to the fiscal year in which the grant application is made shall be used as the population base.

2. For new construction, the population base as determined above shall be used to compute the minimum project size required to qualify as an applicant for a grant as specified in Table A.

Table A
Population to be	Minimum Square Feet of Floor Space
Served by the Project
Under 10,000	3,500 sq. ft. + .7 sq. ft. per capita over 5,000 pop.
10,000-25,000	7,000 sq. ft. + .6 sq. ft. per capita over 10,000
pop.
25,000-50,000	16,000 sq. ft. + .45 sq. ft. per capita over 25,000
pop.
50,000-100,000	27,250 sq. ft. + .35 sq. ft. per capita over 50,000
pop.
100,000-200,000	44,750 sq. ft. + .25 sq. ft. per capita over 100,000
pop.
200,000-500,000	69,750 sq. ft. + .2 sq. ft. per capita over 200,000
pop.
500,000+	129,750 sq. ft. + .15 sq. ft. per capita over
500,000 pop.

3. If the project is an addition to an existing building, the new construction for the addition must result in total floor space, which when added to the floor space of the existing structure, shall meet the minimum size criteria as shown in Table A.

4. The percentages in Table B below may be used to reduce the floor space requirements in Table A above for the construction, acquisition or renovation of a central library.

Table B
Population Served by	Percent of
Central Library	Allowable Reduction
Under 39,999	25
40,000- 49,999	26
50,000- 59,999	27
60,000- 69,999	28
70,000- 79,999	29
80,000- 89,999	30
90,000- 99,999	31
100,000-109,999	32
110,000-119,999	34
120,000-129,999	36
130,000-139,999	38
140,000-149,999	40
150,000-159,999	42
160,000-169,999	44
170,000-179,999	46
180,000-189,999	48
190,000-199,999	50
200,000-209,999	52
210,000-219,999	54
Over 219,999	55

(g) Library buildings and facilities shall be designed in accordance with State and Federal minimum standards for providing barrier-free access for physically handicapped people.

1. The applicant shall also comply with N.J.A.C. 5:23-7, Barrier-Free Subcode, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:32-4 through 12.

2. This document may be purchased from the American National Standards Institute, Inc., 11 West 42nd Street, New York, New York 10036.

(h) All New Jersey labor laws and regulations must be adhered to when applicable.

(i) All contracts shall be awarded in compliance with the Local Public Contracts Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 et seq.

(j) In developing plans for public library facilities, the local and State codes with regard to fire and safety will be observed. In situations where local fire and safety codes do not apply, recognized State codes shall be observed.

N.J. Admin. Code § 15:21-5.4

As amended, R.1983 d.198, eff. 6/6/1983.
See: 15 New Jersey Register 196(a), 15 New Jersey Register 890(c).
In (g), 1980 publication adopted by reference and added new 1.-2. In (i), equipment procurement contracts increased from $ 2,500 to $ 4,500.
Amended by R.1990 d.179, effective 3/19/1990.
See: 21 New Jersey Register 3822(a), 22 New Jersey Register 921(c).
Recodified from 6:68-5.5 and amended by R.1995 d.290, effective 6/5/1995.
See: 27 New Jersey Register 620(a), 27 New Jersey Register 2202(a).
Amended by R.2000 d.145, effective 4/3/2000.
See: 32 New Jersey Register 174(a), 32 New Jersey Register 1244(b).
Rewrote (a) and (i); in (c), substituted a reference to all criteria for a reference to the minimum criteria; and in (g), changed the address in 2, and deleted a former 3.