TRENTON -- New Jersey voters approved ballot initiatives Tuesday that would allow the state to borrow $125 million to modernize and expand public libraries, and prevent lawmakers from diverting funds earmarked for environmental cleanups to balance the state budget.

In an election season dominated by the governor's race between Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno -- which Murphy won Tuesday -- the ballot questions sparked little controversy.

With about three-quarters of the voting precincts tallied, nearly 60 percent of New Jersey residents approved the state borrowing $125 million to provide seed money for county and local library projects.

The State Librarian, in consultation with the president of Thomas Edison State University, will develop criteria to judge submissions to compete for the grants.

"We thank the people of New Jersey and the Legislature," said Patricia Tumulty, the executive director of the New Jersey Library Association. "This will result in creating better libraries and stimulating the New Jersey economy."

The state's "somewhat stagnant" recovery from the recession delayed local and county investment in libraries, Tumulty added. "This is public affirmation that libraries are important ... they are community centers."

A library bond was last approved 15 years ago.

A survey of librarians found 50 percent of library facilities were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and 60 percent have outgrown their space.

Nearly 70 percent approved ballot question 2, amending the state constitution to prevent future governors and the legislature from repurposing money earmarked for restoring land and waterways tainted by pollution.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, said the need for the constitutional amendment became apparent after Gov. Chris Christie tried to take away money from the $225 million ExxonMobil settlement for damage done to the Bayway and Bayonne refinery areas in 2015.

"Money awarded for damage to natural resources needs to be used to restore the natural resources damaged, as in the ExxonMobil case, to restore wetlands and marshlands that protect against flooding from storm surges, and not siphoned off for other uses," Lesniak said.

According to the ballot question, any funds paid by a polluter "would have to be used to repair, restore, replace, or preserve the State's natural resources. The moneys may also be used to pay legal or other costs incurred by the state in pursuing its claims."

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said the passage of the amendment sends a message to future governors that they "can't steal the money" meant "to clean up polluted sites and help communities who have been affected by the contamination."

Correction: An earlier verison of this story misstated the name of the executive director of the New Jersey Library Association. It is Patricia Tumulty.

STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.