The Salt Lake County Library Board has voted to request that $450,000 be restored to the county library system's budget, which is likely facing deep cuts in funding for the coming year.
County commissioners will consider the citizen board's request and undoubtedly numerous other requests as they review the entire county budget during a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the County Commission chambers.Concerned about the impact proposed reductions totaling nearly $1 million would have on library services, the library board met recently, voting to ask commissioners for the $450,000 restoration.
That is the amount of money needed to pay for additional staffing and materials requested for the new Riverton Library, scheduled to open next March. The $450,000 also reflects ongoing costs associated with the new Bingham Creek Library, which opened last July, said library system director Eileen B. Longsworth.
The system's current budget for 1998 is $19.7 million. For 1999, library officials had requested $20.7 million, a 4.4 percent increase over the current calendar year.
If the commission restores $450,000 to the library budget, county Human Services Director Kerry Steadman said Wednesday that he "thinks that will alleviate the need for other cuts" in library services that would be missed by the public.
"It would be difficult to open the Riverton Library as proposed in March 1999 with the funding cuts suggested by the Board of County Commissioners, without taking cuts somewhere else in the library system," Steadman said.
He said the library system had asked for a "pretty significant" increase (the 4.4 percent) over the 1998 budget, primarily for two reasons. He said the requested budget for 1999 reflected full-year operational costs for the Bingham Creek Library, which opened in mid-1998, and for the new Riverton Library. He said the latter library is about twice the size of the current Riverton Library.
"So naturally, it requires more staff, more materials and more operating costs than the existing library," Steadman said.
He said the library system's request for funding was a "reasonable request. We try to anticipate what the needs are, but we also realize (county commissioners) have the final authority to put funding where they think it is appropriate."
If the county commission ends up cutting nearly $1 million from the budget, then citizens must realize that there must be cuts in services. "The library is a popular service. The community uses libraries heavily. With this reduction in our funding, we will have to see some reduction in services. If the commission grants the $450,000 requested by the board, then no (library) hours would be reduced," Longsworth said.
Without restoration of the latter amount, 12 community libraries (Draper, East Mill Creek, Holladay, Kearns, Magna, Park, Riverton, Calvin Smith, South Jordan, Tyler, West Jordan and West Valley) would close at 6 p.m., instead of 9 p.m., on Thursday nights. Only Whitmore, Sandy, Hunter and Bingham Creek libraries would remain open Thursday nights.
Also, needed new computers would not be added to libraries. Needed repairs and improvements would not be made during 1999. Plans for a new, expanded Draper Library would be canceled. And some popular programs such as Storytime and Summer Reading Club may be reduced, Longsworth said.