Slight increase for library budget
Posted Feb 4, 2010 By Chris Must
Email
Print
Tweet ThisEMC News - After having a "holiday" in 2009, the three municipalities which share in the expenses of the Perth and District Union Library are once again being asked to contribute to a capital reserve fund intended to cover repairs to the building.
Head librarian Faye Cunningham said that although the town of Perth and the townships of Drummond/North Elmsley and Tay Valley are being asked to contribute 6.7 per cent more than in 2009, the actual expenses of the library are increasing by only 2.6 per cent. The remainder of the spending increase is due to the need to replenish the capital reserve fund. Cunningham said the fund is capped at $30,000, and because it reached its cap in 2008, the municipalities were not asked to contribute to the fund in 2009. However, two renovation projects last year reduced the fund to $15,698.
Wooden pillars on the exterior of the library, which had been in place since it was constructed in 1981, needed to be replaced. As well, paving stones around the exterior had sunk into the ground and required replacement. "That really ate into our capital reserve," said Cunningham.
The library has been at its current location on Herriott Street since 1981 following a fire which gutted the original location, now the MacMillan Building, in 1980.
The library's budget is shared between Perth and the two neighbouring townships through a formula based on assessment, population, and usage. According to the library's annual report for 2008, 47.12 per cent of users come from Perth, 27.13 per cent from Tay Valley, 21.44 from Drummond/North Elmsley, and 4.31 are non-residents.
The library presented its proposed budget to representatives of the three municipalities on Monday, Jan. 18. Each council will refer the request to their individual budget processes.
Total budgeted expenses for the library in 2010 are $487,184.65, compared to $460,285.97 in 2009. Of this total, $16,458.94 is earmarked to the capital reserve fund.
Perth's share of the total expenses is $181,546.02, while Drummond/North Elmsley's share is $111,559.60, and Tay Valley will be asked to contribute $134,162.03. The library will also receive a provincial grant of $39,695.
Cunningham said one unknown factor in the preparation of this year's budget is the impact of the harmonized sales tax. "We're just keeping our fingers crossed that it's going to have a neutral impact," she said. The possible impact of the HST on a number of budget items has been taken into consideration, and the library board has added three per cent to those items as a cushion.
The library employs two fulltime staff and 10 part-time staff including the caretaker and high school students who come in after school. In 2009, 99,616 people visited the library, and 139,687 items were borrowed. The library serves a total of 18,659 residents of the three member municipalities.
