At its meeting Monday night, April 25, Princeton Council decided more investigation is needed before voting to adopt the proposed 2016 municipal budget of $61.9 million. The governing body also tabled the introduction of an ordinance to establish a new Civil Rights Commission.

Various options were discussed as ways to balance the budget. One would involve raising taxes by an extra $150,000 in 2016, which would add about $20 to the municipal portion of the average assessed home’s tax bill. That would keep the town from continuing to use money from its reserves, something some members of Council have warned against because of worries that it could impact the town’s AAA bond rating.

Other options mentioned included a hiring freeze or rollback, an across-the-board cut spread among different departments, and cuts to Access Princeton and Princeton Public Library. At one point, Councilman Patrick Simon made a motion to cut the library budget by $16,000. He, Jenny Crumiller, and Jo Butler voted in favor while Lance Liverman voted against it (Heather Howard and Bernie Miller had recused themselves because of ties to the library).

“It seems ludicrous to cut anyone’s budget without looking at the limitations that would cause,” said Mr. Liverman. “The library is the one place in town that is welcoming to everybody.” The motion was later overturned when it was determined that legally, four “yes” votes are needed for the measure to pass.

Municipal administrator Marc Dashield said across-the-board cuts would be a bad idea, adding that alternatives such as a hiring freeze are being considered. Another public hearing on the budget will be held at the May 9 Council meeting.

Regarding the formation of a Civil Rights Commission, Council heard from members of the town’s Human Services Commission about whether to introduce the measure, even though questions about how much power it would have were still under discussion. The municipal attorney’s statement that the Commission would serve in a largely advisory role, and would have no special authority, caused some to caution that it would have “no teeth.”

Leticia Fraga, a candidate for Council who chairs the Human Services Commission’s subcommittee on civil rights, asked that the ordinance be tabled because it is incomplete. John Heilner, a member of the subcommittee, said he was disappointed to see that a key piece of what the group had recommended was missing despite unanimous approval by the Human Services Commission. He suggested providing “a completely independent, neutral commission with the capability to mediate civil rights cases. We should not be satisfied to fall back on the easy way out, with education and outreach the only tools at our disposal,” he said.

Mr. Liverman, who was a member of an earlier Civil Rights Commission that was founded by former Princeton Borough Mayor Jim Floyd in 1968, was in favor of introducing the ordinance. “We can always amend or add to this, but I want to see a Civil Rights Commission begin,” he said. “There are ways to make this work. Let’s start something.” But Council voted to table the ordinance until its full purpose is worked out.