By Matt Hampton
The $2.3 million budget, which will be voted on at the end of April, includes huge cuts in maintenance and personnel costs, and an overall reduction of 4 percent. Library Director Lisa Paulo said the savings came without any scale back in library services or firings.
The most substantial cut from the budget is a six percent decrease in personnel costs, representing $92,543. Paulo explained the drop, saying the library had not made an anticipated hire, and had finished paying into a former employee's pension plan.
The library also cut 50 percent from its building repairs budget, as structural repairs and improvements had not met even half of the $50,000 allocated during the last fiscal year. These reductions, while ultimately incremental in the library's overall cash fund, pass a small savings onto taxpayers in the library levy.
Paulo said that overall, the library will not see any reduction in working hours by employees, but the savings will make a big difference in a tough economic time.
"We haven't had to drop services at all," Paulo said. "It's very important to the board, especially in this economy, that we kept a zero percent increase in our budget."
Paulo said that the economy has had a profound impact on library services in expected ways. More residents are turning to libraries instead of book stores and, increasingly, video stores or rental outlets. The library board installed incremental increases in purchasing power for everything the library loans, with a particular eye to DVD's and computer software because of the jump in circulation of those items.
Library programs, as well, have seen an increase in participation, or well-attended programs have kept their lofty numbers.
"Programs are heavily subscribed, especially our children's programs," Paulo said. "It's a very healthy attendance, so we're happy about that."
The approved budget was mailed to Franklin Square residents over the weekend, and a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. at the Franklin Square library. Paulo urged residents to come and question any part of the budget that was of concern. The final vote for approval will take place Wednesday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the library.
