Budget cuts could close book on Monroe Street library
The Monroe Street neighborhood may lose its library after this year's budget process, according to the Madison Public Library Board.
The board passed two versions of its 2009 budget Monday night -- one that reflected the library system's "cost to continue" budget and another that board members called a "draconian" budget with the 5 percent cuts requested by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. In the former, the board suggested cutting service at the Monroe Street branch back to four days per week, and in the latter, the branch's operations would be cut entirely.
"Nobody wants to do this," said library director Barb Dimick. "I tried to keep this as low as possible. I hate cutting hours, and I hate having people knowing their jobs are in jeopardy. It's not a pleasant place to be right now."
Dimick said the Monroe Street branch was "the most obvious choice" for cuts for various reasons. The library is small -- 2,500 square feet -- with older facilities that do not meet service needs for technology or handicapped accessibility. While the Monroe neighborhood supports the library, she said statistics reflect that nearby residents frequently use the Central Library downtown and the Sequoya Library on the west side, meaning its closure would affect the fewest number of people.
The Monroe Street library would not be the only one affected by this year's budget, though, which reflects declining property values, an economic recession, increased borrowing in recent years and unexpected increases in such expenses as fuel and snow removal.
Dimick said in the "cost to continue" budget, smaller libraries would see a reduction in Friday night hours, while in the more stringent version, small branches such as Hawthorne, Lakeview, Meadowridge and South Madison would see their hours reduced to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The larger libraries such as the Central, Ashman, Pinney and Sequoya branches would see their hours cut to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. All Sunday hours would be preserved.
Board members discussed other potential areas to tweak the budget, including increasing the cost of late fines, imposing late fines on children's accounts and cutting additional funds from the library system's book budget -- about 10 percent of the system's annual budget at just over $1 million per year. Dimick said, however, that the Madison library system's fines are currently the highest in the state at 25 cents per book per day, and raising them would have diminishing returns as patrons start heading out to suburban libraries such as Middleton with no late fines.
She added with regard to the book budget that the system has cut from that portion of the budget each year and has little chance of getting the money back.
"You would never get it back," she said. "People are more concerned about their hours. They don't see the book budget cuts. All they know is there's not enough there and they go some place else."
Looking forward
Also Monday night, the board passed a resolution to the City Council for a request for proposals (RFP) for a new Central Library. The RFP was tailored to fit a model offered by developer Terrence Wall, which would put the Central Library in a mixed-use facility. The city would purchase space in the new building and then pay to custom it to the library's needs.
The model differs from a 2002 plan to renovate the 43-year-old building in that it would sell the property and land to a developer first under the condition that the library has a guaranteed space in the final building, and it would include other businesses and office space, including a major commercial tenant. City real estate manager Don Marx said the Wall plan gives the city more "financial opportunities" to afford a modern library.
"I can tell you being in this business for a while, our first substantive committee meeting was on June 6, and depending on the board's action tonight, we will get a resolution on this to the Common Council on Aug. 5. That's like light speed when you go through a disposal of property," Marx said.
Despite the greater financial flexibility, however, library board member Ald. Larry Palm said that the city still has a long way to go in finding its share of the project -- $22 million -- and that the library board is taking the process one step at a time. The city uses a conservative 10-year payback plan on major building projects that puts the city's budget under stress for that decade, but saves the city significantly on interest in the long run.
"It could cost more to pay for the library than to run it" each year, Palm said. A new Central Library is not a factor in the 2009 budget, he added, with the RFPs unlikely to even be seen until January 2009.
File photo
The Monroe Street branch library could see its service cut due to budget woes.
