The devastating November defeat of a ballot initiative to
provide funding for Douglas County Libraries has prompted the
district to tighten its belt and roll out a plan for cutbacks.
The proposal, which is up for approval from the library board of
trustees in March, includes plans to permanently close libraries in
Cherry Valley at the south end of the county and in Louviers.
Administrative costs could be significantly reduced with the
closure of every library countywide for eight hours per week.
Library officials haven’t yet decided whether the eight-hour
closure will be by closing two evenings a week, possibly Wednesday
and Thursday, or one whole eight-hour day. Either way, the annual
cost savings from that move alone would be $600,000.
Library district officials met in Highlands Ranch Jan. 10 to set
a course for the next three to five years. If approved during a
public meeting at 7 p.m. March 19 at the Philip S. Miller Library
in Castle Rock, the changes would go into effect in June.
“Library use and costs are rising. Library revenue is flat or
falling, and it appears the next year may be worse,” a news release
from Douglas County Libraries says. “Like many households and
businesses around the country, it is time for the library to
tighten its belt.”
The board of trustees voted against redirecting resources to
build a new library in Parker because the budget cuts needed to
fund the construction would negatively impact the community.
Director Jamie LaRue was not available for comment before press
deadline.
The library district is considering opening a long-term savings
account fed by the money saved from the cutbacks to build a new
facility in the future.
Officials want to reduce expenditures by 7 percent to 10 percent
over the next 18 months to offset declining revenues.
Library staff will be reduced through attrition, reassignment,
and administrative efficiency. A recent investment in automated
self-service check-out equipment will limit disruption for patrons
and could result in 5 percent savings, or approximately $500,000
per year. The library materials budget could also be reduced by
$275,000.
“The library spends 60 percent of its budget on staffing and 16
percent on library materials,” said Mary Tweden, associate director
of finance. “A major portion of costs savings to counteract
flattening revenues will necessarily have to come from these areas
of expenditure.”
The cutback proposal follows the failure of a mill levy increase
in November that would have funded ongoing operations as well as
three new facilities in Parker, Lone Tree and Castle Pines North.
Voters came out against the measure by a 53 percent to 47 percent
margin, largely because of the weakened economy. It would have
increased property taxes by roughly $24 per year. A more
comprehensive ballot question was also defeated in 2007. A revamped
initiative could possibly be reintroduced to Douglas County voters
within two to four years.
The proposal to close the library branches in Louviers and
Cherry Valley were based on population served and the cost per
check-out being disproportionately high, Tweden said.
The Louviers library opened in 1917. The Cherry Valley branch
opened in 1994.