A Few Snapshots From the Still Bloody Frontlines of Library Budget Wars
A buzzsaw hits Miami; Los Angeles Public Library's new revenue structure provides a useful contrast By Michael Kelley Oct 7, 2011A brief, by no means definitive, survey of budgets at some major systems around the country shows that as FY12, which usually began either July 1 or October 1, gets under way the hemorrhaging has sometimes stopped but much work remains to reanimate the services lost over the past few years.
Los Angeles enjoys certainty
It is best to start with the Los Angeles Public Library because the system illustrates so well the palliative effect that a dedicated tax can have on the travails that accompany the typical budget season.
Voters amended the Los Angeles city charter back in March, so that the library now receives a larger dedicated percentage (0.03 percent) of the assessed value of all property in the city. The library, in a sense, became "self-sufficient," untethered from the general fund (and its political vicissitudes) and responsible for all its costs. The guaranteed revenue stream cannot be diverted to any other purpose except library operations.
"This was a game changer," said Peter Persic, the library's public relations and marketing director. "It really has taken out budget out of the typical process and made it into an entirely different creature."
Other systems have just barely entered FY12 but they are already contemplating how best to approach FY13 negotiations. Los Angeles, on the other hand, already knows that for FY13 (which begins July 1, 2012) it has a guaranteed appropriation of $102 million, up $14.7 million from FY12. Of that amount a minimum of 45 percent will be available for the operating budget; 55 percent must go toward paying "related costs" that the library will have to assume (e.g., custodial services) that had previously been paid for from the general fund.
But the guaranteed money is going to allow the library to hire back 24 laid-off employees and restore service hours to FY10 levels.
"Measure L's guaranteed restoration of funds over the next four years removes much of the uncertainty that has been part of the budget process in the past few years," Persic said. "Instead of spending valuable time and resources developing responses to various budget reduction scenarios, we are able to focus on methodically rebuilding the organization, restoring cut services and moving forward with our four strategic goals," he said.
Miami-Dade County budget cut 30 percent
The halcyon situation in Los Angeles stands in stark contrast to the tough times that are hitting Miami-Dade Public Library system.
The numbers provided by Suzet Alvarez-Cleary, the assistant director for fiscal operations, tell a good part of the story.
The library's operating budget for FY12, which began October 1, is being cut 30 percent, from $74.8 million to $52.2 million. The library has eliminated all 153 part-time workers, and it has cut the number of full-time staff from 621 to 466, a 25 percent reduction.
All 45 branches are moving from six-day schedules to five days, and the materials budget is being cut from $1.6 million to $1 million.
Raymond Santiago, the library's director, is away on vacation, and no other library official would comment. A representative from the Government Supervisors Association of Florida, Local 100, which represents staff librarians, did not return a call seeking comment.
Sacramento Public Library endures a sharp cut
About 400 miles to the north of Los Angeles, the Sacramento Public Library knows very well the draining political dance that Los Angeles has escaped from.
Sacramento's operating budget approved on September 29 will cut the library's funding from $34.4 million to $30.9 million. The library announced this week that it has reduced service hours at all 27 branches plus the central library by 43 hours a week, which is tantamount to closing a small branch.
The new hours mean a five-day per week schedule at 26 of the 28 locations, with most closed on Sundays and Mondays. The materials budget has gone from $4 million to $2.75 million.
"Our number one priority was to keep service hours as intact as possible," said Brenda Haggert, the library's communications officer.
In addition, the library has eliminated funding for substitute staff that filled in for the regular staff when the latter took vacation or sick time, and 30 vacant positions are not going to be filled. The library's FTE count has gone from 296 in FY11 to 262.5 for FY12 (part of that came from a voluntary separation plan offered last year).
"If someone was out for a day or a week, we would bring in one of those on-call people to maintain staffing levels," Haggert said. "But maintaining a 6-day a week schedule was just unrealistic without having that on-call capability," she said.
Sacramento has the good fortune to have a dedicated parcel tax, which accounts for about $4.5 million of the budget, but Haggert said that library officials are very concerned that if the cuts to the library's budget continue that tax could be in jeopardy next year. If the library's funding falls below the state's maintenance of effort requirement, then the justification for the tax can be called into question.
"We are very concerned about our ability, and the city's ability, to assess the tax next year," Haggert said.
Fort Worth Sees a 5 percent increase in budget
The Fort Worth Public Library has been through some tough years recently, with the city manager proposing every year to close branches. But this year was different.
"The last few years we've been struggling to survive and keep our libraries open," said Gleniece Robinson, the director. "Each time the community has raised its voice in support of keeping libraries open, and the community really rallied last year so the city manager was on record that he would not recommend any closures for 2012," she said.
Not only were no closures proposed, but two branches that had been slated to close in midyear FY11 were spared and reinstated for FY12 as the 16-branch library system's operating budget was increased 5 percent to $19.9 million on September 20.
"That was a huge success story for us," Robinson said.
All the branches will remain open and there will be no further reduction in service hours, although the library still has not returned to 2009 levels.
"I would say there was more of a recognition among councilors and the city manger of the value the library provided," she said.
The library supporters were very concrete in describing how the library benefited them in job searches and other areas, going beyond bromides such as "I love the library," Robinson said. The library also was armed with hard core data to back its arguments, she said.
"We are not out of the woods but at least in Fort Worth we're on solid ground, at least for the moment."
Dallas Absorbs $1.1 Million Cut
The budget for the Dallas Public Library was approved last week, and it gives the 26-branch system an FY12 operating budget of $18.4 million, which is a reduction of $1.1 million.
The library had to cut 84 positions, all but 19 of which were from attrition and early retirement. The service hours have remained the same, and the materials budget has actually increased from $1.6 million to $2.1 million.
"I'm hopeful that this is an indicator that it's starting to come back a little," said Corinne Hill, the interim director of libraries. "We still took that hit with people and we are at the bare minimum with staffing, but it may be steadying a bit."
The library's budget has been cut 46 percent since 2008. "It's got to be the bottom," Hill said. Dallas will open its 27th branch in the spring 2012.
Last minute cash infusions help preserve Sunday hours in Boston and District of Columbia
Until Sunday, October 2, the DC Public Library was facing the unpalatable prospect of starting its FY12 fiscal year by closing the Martin Luther King Library, the central library of the 25-branch system, on Sundays. The central library has been open on Sundays since its first year in 1972.
However, at the last minute on October 2, Mayor Vincent Gray announced that an additional $316,000 will be made available to the library in order to keep the MLK library open on Sundays. The Council of the District of Columbia is expected to approve the extra money.
And service hours at all the other branches will be maintained.
"We are so pleased that the hours were taken care of," said Ginnie Cooper, the library's director.
The library's FY12 operating budget is $34.7 million (once the additional money is infused). The budget was $35.2 million in FY11, and Cooper does have concerns. The book budget is being sliced nearly in half, from $3 million to $1.7 million.
"That's my biggest concern," Cooper said. "We may not be able to buy the blockbuster that comes out in February," she said. "There's no money for travel, no money for training, and all that in the long run will do us damage that will be hard to recover from," she said. The library also has lost five FTEs.
Boston Public Library faced a similar Sunday closing scenario. When the Boston Public Library Trustees approved a $39.3 million budget for FY12 back in March, it was projecting that the state, which funds the library's budget with the city, would only contribute $2.4 million.
However, when the trustees convened again on August 2, they were able to announce that not only had the state increased its funding for FY12 (which actually began a month earlier on July 1) by $380,000 but that as a result the library was going to be able to maintain Sunday hours at the Central Library in Copley Square. The plan until then had been to eliminate Sunday hours.
"To find out the additional $380,000 [from the state] was really a lift for the whole organization because it represented level funding, and in these times you can't count on that," said Gina Perille, the library's chief communications officer.
The library's operating budget in FY11 was $40 million, for FY12 it now is $39.7 million.
"We had a high level of activity and a lot of people involved. It was a very positive process," Perille said.
Indianapolis Marion County Public Library is hopeful
The Indianapolis Marion County Public Library has a proposal before the City-County Council that would increase the library's operating budget for FY12 to $39.9 million, a 1.1 percent increase over FY11. And Laura Bramble, the library's retiring chief executive officer, is optimistic that the budget is going to pass when the council votes on October 17.
"I feel like we have a good chance of getting this budget proposal through. I'm hopeful," she said.
The library's service hours were cut 26 percent last year, and if the budget passes six percent of those hours can be restored.
"We would be able to add back an 8-hour day for 10 locations, so that would put some of our libraries at 7-day a week service," Bramble said.
Bramble said the effort of the Sustainable Library Citizens Coalition has helped the library in its negotiations with officials at the city and state level, and, partially as a result of these advocacy efforts, this year the library can request for the first time a portion of the county option income tax, which previously it could not tap into. The library still has to cope with the property tax cap in Michigan, though, which affects revenues.
"We're not at optimum service, but I just don't think that's possible right now," Bramble said.
On September 22, The Indianapolis Public Library Board of Trustees selected M. Jacqueline Nytes as the library's next chief executive officer.
Jacksonville Public Library avoids the worst
Jacksonville Public Library (JPL), FL, avoided a substantial budget cut that would have resulted in layoffs, reduced service hours, and one branch closure in FY12.
Instead, JPL will only have to reduce hours at most of the library system's 21 locations, effective October 15. A total of 23 hours will be cut, "spread out over most locations, but not all," said Kathy Lussier, JPL's assistant director for community relations and marketing. No branches will close.
JPL's FY12 budget was finalized by the Jacksonville City Council on September 27 with a reduction of $1.3 million from its current $39.6 million budget, avoiding a scenario that envisioned a $2.6 million cut.
Funds were diverted from the Inspector General's budget (that department is being reorganized) and from a road resurfacing fund, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Seattle mayor surprises the library
On September 26, Mayor Mike McGinn presented his proposed 2012 city budget to the City Council, and it was a better-than-expected budget for the Seattle Public Library, according to a posting on the library's website.
The library had been told to prepare for cuts of between $2 million and $4 million, but McGinn proposed $485,000 more than the library was asking for, which would translate, if approved, to an FY12 budget of $51.9 million, a $1.9 million increase over FY11.
The proposed budget now goes to the City Council which will approve a final budget by the end of November. Even if passed as is, it still will continue service cuts implemented in recent years:
- A one-week systemwide closure to be negotiated with the library union
- Branch libraries open 190 fewer hours a week, compared to 2009
- 15 of 28 branches open five days per week, seven hours per day
- The $5 million budget for books and other items is 14 percent less than 2010 funding levels
- The $820,000 proposed capital budget is 22 percent less than in 2011
Milwaukee mayor wants to boost hours, raise budget 1.5 percent
Mayor Tom Barrett in Milwaukee has proposed a budget for FY12 that would allow the Milwaukee Public Library to expand branch hours and educational programs for children. It would raise the FY12 budget 1.5 percent over FY11.
The state Department of Public Instruction had previously sanctioned the city for cutting the library's budget too deeply in FY10 and cutting hours at 11 of the 12 branches to 35 hours a week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported.
The trend began to reverse in FY11, with hours expanding at four of the system's 12 branches. Barrett's budget, which would increase the bottom line from $22.3 million to $22.6 million, would allow hours to recoup service hours at the rest of the branches except one.
The Common Council must approve a final budget by November 4.
(Patrick Losinki, the executive director of the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio, recently described in-depth the Ohio funding model in an LJ feature story).
