Library officials brace for news

By David Skolnick

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — If the governor’s proposed budget cuts are enacted, Mahoning Valley library officials say their systems would need to close most branches, scale back hours and reduce staffing levels at the surviving facilities.

It was only a year ago that the state provided $458 million to its 251 public library systems. If Gov. Ted Strickland’s proposal to reduce the state’s deficit of $3.2 billion on its $54 billion budget is approved by the General Assembly, that library fund would drop to $248 million.

“It’s catastrophic; it’s devastating,” said Carlton A. Sears, director of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

The reduction proposed by Strickland would leave the Mahoning system, which has 15 branches and the main library in downtown Youngstown, with $5.2 million next year in state funding. That’s compared to $9.9 million last year and $6.8 million this year from the state. At the beginning of the year, the library system had anticipated $9.8 million in state funding, based on tax collections, in 2009.

The library system would have to close most of its branches if state funding is cut that severely, Sears said.

One scenario being considered is to keep only the main library open as well as two of these three branches: Austintown, Poland and Boardman.

The buildings that would remain open would do so with reduced hours and smaller staffs, Sears said.

“While we recognize that the state is dealing with a serious financial situation, we also believe that the community’s libraries are not a luxury,” he said. “They are essential, especially during these hard economic times.”

The library system is already facing major financial problems, Sears said.

The system started the year with a $2 million deficit. Through cost-cutting measures, including reducing its book budget, slashing hours, cutting administrative salaries and renegotiating its natural-gas contract, the deficit is about $140,000.

The system planned to close its West Branch on Youngstown’s West Side to save more money, but was recently convinced to keep it open for at least two months to see if the area could find the money to keep the facility open.

Now the library system has bigger problems, Sears said.

Strickland’s plan could be approved by the state Legislature by next Tuesday’s deadline to enact a two-year state budget.

The library plans to place a 1-mill replacement levy and a 0.5-mill additional levy for 5 years on the November ballot.

They would raise $6.06 million a year for the library, which receives $3.8 million a year from a current 1-mill, 5-year levy approved in November 2005.

The increased tax funding would certainly help the library system, but wouldn’t be enough to stop numerous branch closings and other cuts, Sears said.

“It’s not a matter of the programs’ worthiness, it’s a matter of not having funds available,” said Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman. “These are extraordinarily difficult decisions. Tough choices have to be made in this economy without raising taxes.”

The budget cuts also would be bad for libraries in Trumbull County.

The Warren-Trumbull County Public Library with its main library in Warren and branches in five other communities would see its 2010 funding drop to about $1.6 million from $4 million in 2008, said James Wilkins, its director.

The governor’s announcement on seeking library funding cuts shocked Wilkins.

“It would result in substantial branch closings and layoffs,” he said.

“It’s almost impossible to withstand a cut like that. It would be significant cuts, reduced services and reduced hours for our system. A cut like this is just disastrous.”

skolnick@vindy.com