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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter to BOS regarding proposed Library budget opSUPRVISp RS Moghannam, Kathleen 3 From: Wolfgram, Derek �°� CALIF0 �A Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 3:40 AM To: Connelly, Bill; Dolan, Jane; Kirk, Maureen; Lambert, Steve; Yamaguchi, Kim Cc: Iturria, Greg; Moghannam, Kathleen; Pickett, Andy; Wolfgram, Derek Subject: proposed library budget Dear Board of Supervisors, Today, I received confirmation that the proposed budget that will be presented for your consideration at the budget hearings in May is extremely grim for the Library. The $600, 000 in annual redactions approved by your Board last week, which represent the Library's proportional share of the general fund deficit, will be challenging for the Library and the community. The deeper cuts recommended for next fiscal year will be absolutely devastating. On Wednesday, I will be meeting with a joint group including the Butte County Library Advisory Board and the officers of all five Friends of the Library groups in Butte County. Thursday morning, I will be meeting with the Library Leadership Team, which includes my six current supervisory staff and my senior administrative assistant. On Friday, I will begin meeting with Library staff whose jobs are slated for layoff in the interim CAD's recommended budget. Because I expect information about the proposed budget to become known to the general public very quickly after these meetings are held, I wanted to make sure you had the facts in advance, rather than you hearing them for the first time from your constituents or in the local media. The budget: The total recommended budget for the Library in 2009-10 will be approximately $1.5 million, compared to a 2008-09 budget of approximately $3. 1 million. This eliminates more than half of the Library's budget. The reductions include approximately $1 million in General Purpose Revenue Savings, which also are likely to result in the loss of about $600, 000 in other revenues from the State of California, the City of Chico, First 5 Commission grants, private donations, Friends of the Library support, and overdue fines and lost book replacement fees. Some of these funds may be lost because of maintenance of effort requirements, others because of limited business hours and lack of staff to support specific programs and activities. Staff impacts: The Library began FY 2008-09 with 39 staff members (35.25 FTE) . One position was laid off in September, and three vacancies and eight filled positions were eliminated in March, leaving 28 staff members (26.25 FTE) . The proposed budget recommends laying off an additional 15 staff members, resulting in a Library staff of 13 full time employees. This is a 67% reduction in employees, and a 64% reduction in FTE. In fiscal year 2007-08, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the Palo Verde Valley Library District in Blythe, CA had the worst ratio of residents served per FTE staff of any public library in California: 10, 593 residents served per FTE staff. The proposed budget for Butte County will provide a ratio of approximately 17, 000 residents served per FTE, 60% worse than our nearest "competitor" for this dubious distinction. Public service impacts: * 71% reduction in open library hours, from 219 per week countywide to 60 (12 hours per week at Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Gridley; 6 hours per week at Durham and Biggs) * The Literacy Coach and Early Learning with Families, both CSAC award winning programs, will be eliminated, as will all other Literacy services except for the volunteer-driven Adult Reading Program * No new books, magazines, or newspapers will be purchased unless they are donated * Online databases for research and homework assistance will be eliminated, with the exception of those paid for by the North State Cooperative Library System * Separate staffing of reference desks and children's areas will be eliminated, consolidating all operations into a single service desk * Access to library computers will be severely restricted * The Library will no longer have the capability to provide delivery between branch libraries, and the/ ability to ce holds on materials through the Library website will be ! / 1 turned off * Interlibrary loan services to and from other institutions will be eliminated * Because of limited hours and staffing, all children's programs, including the children's summer reading program, will be eliminated with the exception of one story time per week per branch * Because of lack of available oversight, community meeting rooms will be closed when the libraries are not open to the public. * The bookmobile will be eliminated * The books by mail program for homebound residents will be eliminated The Butte County Library that residents know and love will be absolutely decimated by these reductions. While I know that my advocacy for across the board reductions to all departments, including public safety, may not be popular with everyone in the County, I hope you can understand why I have taken that position. 12 hours per week of library service in a city of almost 90, 000 people is unconscionable; 60 hours for the entire County even more so. I am hopeful that the budget hearings will provide an opportunity for some of these reductions to be averted. I know that library staff don't arrest criminals or put out fires, but the resources available at libraries really do form a safety net and a positive alternative for a remarkable number of people. 15, 000 people per week visit Butte County Library branches. Please give them an opportunity to continue to access the rich educational and recreational opportunities that their tax dollars have built and sustained. From children learning to read, to entrepreneurs researching business opportunities, to students studying for the GED or college entrance exams, to people looking for work or seeking to build their own skills and knowledge to provide a better life for their families. . . libraries do change lives. Every single day. But only if they're open. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks, Derek Derek Wolfgram Butte County Library Director 1820 Mitchell Avenue Oroville CA 95966 Phone: (530) 538-7240 Email: dwolfgram@buttecounty.net Web: http://www.buttecounty.net/bclibrary 2