Libraries from Cass County suffering from tax delays

Starting Monday, Walton Tipton Township Public Library will decrease its hours.

It will no longer be open Mondays, and will be open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturday, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Director Gordon Southern blames the changes on a tighter budget brought about by statewide property tax restrictions.

"Most of our revenue comes from property taxes and property tax replacement money," Southern said.

The library has had to cut a position, and will cut 17 staff hours, Southern said. The library will try not to decrease materials or programs, he said, but it has already had to decrease its budget for materials by 25 percent this year.

"We're still going to have all of our programs, but they will be packed into a shorter time period," Southern said.

The cuts come only three years after the library completed a $1.4 million renovation and expansion project.

The renovations included roof repair, infrastructure upgrades and improved accessibility for the handicapped. The two-story structure was expanded by 3,200 square feet on each level to allow for a larger collection of books, magazines and audio and video resources. The expansion allowed greater space for patrons and programming.

For the past two years, Southern said, the library has worked hard to expand programs for children, teens and adults. It is currently hosting a poetry contest for all ages this month and will celebrate its tenth May Day Fest on May 3.

In three years, the library's circulation has doubled, Southern said.

As a result of action by the legislature this year to reduce property taxes, counties throughout the state will be late in sending out tax bills, and that means entities such as the Walton library will be late in receiving their tax draws.

"Unless we get a sizable property tax money draw by June, we will have to cut hours," Southern said. "Right now, we have enough money to do 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for five months, then we'll be pretty much out of money again. We're just looking at reality and trying to make sure we can stay open."

David Ivey, director of the Logansport-Cass County Public Library, said his library isn't in much better shape.

"It will negatively affect us, there's no question about that," he said.

Currently, Ivey said he doesn't know exactly what the effects will be.

"The state library hasn't gotten together to give us a game plan for budgeting next year," he said.

Over the course of two years, the library will see a decrease of 12 percent in its overall budget. Close to 85 percent of the library's budget is made up of property tax revenue.

Ivey projects that the library will face cuts up to $125,000 in 2010.

In the next six months, Ivey said, the library board will be hashing out the budget for the next couple of years.

"It's pretty serious for us," he said.

Ivey said the library did not anticipate cutting hours of operation or purchasing of materials.

"We're already very efficient," he said. "We operate with a lean budget anyway."

Ivey said the library had a sizable reserve but would have to see how it held out over the next couple of years.

The building of the new Galveston branch could be affected, though.

The project was supposed to break ground within 60 days, but will probably be pushed back to June or July, Ivey said.

The new library will be 4,000 square feet and will be next to the community center. Currently, the library shares a building with the town of Galveston and is only 1,100 square feet.

Cost of building and furnishing the new library has been estimated at $1 million. Ivey said the library's reserve is being used to fund the project. He said he was worried about using those reserves now that the library is facing tough financial constraints.

The board of trustees will be getting together next week to discuss how the project will be affected.

Phyllis Gray, director of the Royal Center Public Library, said her library would also be affected by the cuts.

"There's not too much we can do about it," she said.

Ivey said the tax delay was affecting libraries all over the state.

"A lot of libraries in the state are in same position," he said.

More than any government entity, Ivey said, libraries are funded mostly by property taxes.

He said there have also been talks at the state level to reduce the number of library districts so that there is only one operational library per county.

"There's a whole lot of change right now," Ivey said.

Southern said he hasn't heard any complaints yet, but expects to hear from disgruntled patrons soon enough. Several Walton board members are upset about the news.

"It's just a disappointment," said board member Paul Bauer. "This community has worked very long and hard to have an addition added to library and funded."

Rovena Ayers, secretary of the board, wasn't happy with the news, either.

"I just think it's a tragedy, I really do," she said. "The small community is going to lose out."

Despite the setbacks, Southern continues to remain optimistic about the future.

"You just gotta do what you gotta do," he said.