Bowden town council approved a $1 per capita increase in the town’s library board requisition to $4 per capita for the Bowden library. The decision was made on Nov. 28 at the town’s regular council meeting.
Andy Weiss, chair of the Bowden library board, told councillors that if the requisition wasn’t increased, the library would have to cut back on services. He said numerous community surveys over the years have indicated that the library is one of the most cherished services to residents that the town offers.
“We’re asking council to share our vision,” he said.
Mayor Robb Stuart said the 25 per cent increase in the requisition concerned him. The library needs the increase to cover rising costs.
“My thought was to refer this to budget discussions,” Stuart said.
Even though Coun. Pat Doll agreed that the library is a valuable community service, he was unsure that the town should increase its grant to the library.
“I think the library is a huge benefit to the community. My fear is that the town is throwing money at a dying breed,” he said of the library’s print collection.
Weiss said the body went through both the revenue and expenses in preparing the proposed 2012 budget and found as many savings as it could but still needed a $711 increase in the budget to $38,630.60 to make ends meet. To make up that increase in costs, the library asked the town for an additional $1,236 in 2012, making the town’s total requisition $4,944.
“The only other option we have (in addition to the cuts that have been made) if it wasn’t approved would be to reduce hours, thus reducing staffing dollars to balance the budget,” he said.
Weiss said the library didn’t get funding in 2011 from the provincial government or the PRL until August, which meant the library was operating on cash reserves and delayed expenditures.
“We had to run right up until late August with existing reserves and cash flow and delaying purchases … until we had money available,” he said.
Since the library moved next door to the town office at the end of August, traffic has increased by about 30 people per week.
Coun. Sheila Church, town council’s representative on the library board, said she believes the increase in requisition is money well spent. In addition to the print collection, the library also offers many other services such as Internet and Supernet use, downloading e-books or audio books, among other services.
“I think the library serves a wide niche of the population all the way from children to seniors, so I think that by putting another dollar (per capita) into the library, we’re looking after our citizens’ interest,” she said.
