Library cuts likely will wait until summer meetings, trustees say

With state revenues down, libraries are seeing their receipts drop double digits.

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By Lynn Hulsey, Staff Writer Updated 6:21 AM Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dayton Metro Library trustees this summer likely will begin the process of determining what cuts will be needed to balance the budget in 2012.

Trustees on Wednesday, March 17, heard Executive Director Tim Kambitsch outline the system’s financial scenario in the wake of continued bad news on state funding. He said the library system is lucky in that voters approved a 1.75 mill continuing property tax levy in November. That should bring in about $13.6 million annually, an increase of $4.6 million from the previous levy.

However, the state’s budget troubles spill over to public libraries because funding is based on a formula using state revenues. With state revenues down, the libraries across the state are seeing their receipts from the state drop 18.6 percent for the first quarter compared to the same period last year. They expected a decline, but something approaching 7 percent rather than double digits, Kambitsch said.

Projections call for general fund revenues to exceed expenditures through 2011, but by 2012 costs will begin to outstrip revenue. The gap widens from $600,000 in 2012 to $2.9 million in 2014, unless cuts are made or revenues recover, Kambitsch said.

“If we wait until 2012, it’s not going to be orderly, it’s going to be bloody chaos,” said board member Margot Merz.

Last year the trustees were forced by state budget cuts to make mid-year reductions that together with earlier cuts carved $2.1 million out of the budget.

Cuts made last year included a one-year freeze in salaries and benefits, reduction in the materials budget for the purchase of books, DVDs and music, furloughs for workers and reduced hours and leaving positions vacant.

This year the board agreed to reduce the number of items that can be reserved, drop out of the MORE interlibrary loan program and allow library materials to remain at the location where they are returned rather than sending them back to their original location.

Kambitsch said negotiations will soon begin with the library workers union, and it includes re-openers on salary and benefits through June 2011. That leaves some uncertainty about what savings may be achieved in the future.

He expects to have proposals for future cuts ready for the trustees to begin discussing in July.

The board on Wednesday approved 2010 appropriations totaling $42.3 million, which includes a $28.7 million general fund budget. The bulk of the non-general fund portion is $11.5 million in a building and repair fund, which Kambitsch recommended against using to balance future budgets.

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