OCR Text |
Show Library Future Uncertain Until Decision By TOM BL'SSELBERG FARMINGTON Bookmobile Book-mobile service could be discontinued, dis-continued, libraries closed one day a week and several staff positions eliminated, depending depend-ing on whether Layton city returns re-turns to the county system and if the tax rate is increased. FACED WITH those unknowns, un-knowns, the library board opted to send two budgets, with several variations, to the county commission during its regular meeting held last Friday. Fri-day. It was held then instead of Monday to expedite completion comple-tion of proposed budgets for submittal to county budget officers. With a loss of about $140,000 if Layton decides not to rejoin the county system (service otherwise ends Jan. I), two mill levy increase options op-tions are proposed, while Layton's rejoining the system could mean a .06 mill increase to support bookmobile service would be all that's needed to continue current services. THAT CITY'S withdrawal, however, poses problems in even continuing current services. ser-vices. An increase of 2.28 mills up from 1.76 currently or up to a $6 a year increase for the property-owner of a $60,000 house, would be needed. Another option, for a jump to 2.19, would mean deleting de-leting the county's bookmobile bookmo-bile service, currently operated oper-ated in south county, and expanding ex-panding the state service coun-tywide. coun-tywide. It currently provides service in the county's north end. With one bookmobile, stops would probably have to be shortened and some eliminated. elimin-ated. Library Director Jeanne Layton says, adding, "There will have to be a major review in the policy about where we do stop. Right now it's a one mile radius (from libraries). Maybe it would have to be 1 Vi. We could save close to $48,000 if we dropped the bookmobile." bookmo-bile." ASSUMING THE county's second largest city goes it alone, however, and the coun-ty coun-ty commission doesn't approve a 2.28 tax, some cuts would be forthcoming. An increase in the mill levy to 1.9, a level that had been in place until fairly recently, would mean a reduction of about ab-out five full-time or ten part-time part-time staff. If the bookmobile service was eliminated completely, com-pletely, two bookmobile positions posi-tions and three from the libraries librar-ies would have to go. KEEPING bookmobile service ser-vice going would mean dropping drop-ping four full-time employees from the three libraries, in spite of the fact circulation has grown about one-fifth in the past few years, prompting a request re-quest for three more part-time positions if the "full budget" should Layton return, at $861,000, was okayed. Along with the loss of employees, em-ployees, the auditoriums could be closed, lowering utility, custodian and film rental costs, and reference services reduced along with inter and intra-library loan book transfer trans-fer lending services, story hours and summer children's programs reduced. A LOSS of up to seven full and part-time positions would mean "severe cuts in service hours probably closing the library lib-rary one full day per week." That would cut hours from about ab-out 44 a week per library to 36 in a library system that already operates with fewer hours than any major system along the Wasatch Front. Such options woul be necessary neces-sary if a low budget of $7 16,000 was enacted. THE BOARD registered a four-one vote in submitting the budget proposals to the county, coun-ty, with County Com. Glen Saunders, a library board member, abstaining. He said, However, he felt "1.9 mills was reasonable." Board members emphasized a need to alert Layton city officials offi-cials and residents to the pluses by returning to county service. In addition to being forced to finance its own library lib-rary services, residents wishing to continue patronizing patroniz-ing the county libraries (at least in the interim before Layton service started), would face a $10 a family or $5 a person per-son charge per year for library cards, the amount currently charged Kaysville residents. That city maintains its own library, lib-rary, started 25 years before the county system's inception in 1946. The charge is levied to offset lack of tax revenue from Kaysville into the county system. BOARD MEMBERS discussed discus-sed several possibilities, including in-cluding pushing for a state law that would prohibit municipalities municipa-lities from withdrawing from previously organized county systems. One member suggested sug-gested cities in a county system sys-tem wishing to start their own library would have to continue paying into the county service in addition to paying for their own (now) library. Speaking of potential problems prob-lems operating the three current cur-rent facilities Board Chairman Evan Whitesides said, "If Layton and Centerville withdraw, with-draw, we can't operate those three expensive libraries," referring re-ferring to the multi-million dollar dol-lar plants and equipment in each. Some Centerville officials offi-cials have indicated interest in their own library, but not withdrawal. MS. LAYTON expressed concern at possibly having to fire some staff members. "If we need to let people go, we should really give them more than two weeks notice. That's important to me. We owe them as much consideration as possible." pos-sible." Ms. Layton questioned the ability of Layton, as a city, to obtain bookmobile service from the state library board, operators of the system that would probably have to serve the city. State Board Diactor Russell Davis said in a telephone tele-phone interviews, "It's a question ques-tion that's never been presented pre-sented before. All we've contracted con-tracted with are counties, because be-cause in a good number of cases we contract with two or three counties (for one bookmobile). book-mobile). In the past, it's never been done." BUT HE said "a lot of possibilities" possi-bilities" could be worked out, including contracting with Davis County and the county then sub-contracting to provide pro-vide services to the city. |