Citrus County library board votes to defer millage decision amid $1 million budget gap and public questions about book purchases

The Special Library District of Citrus County voted to defer a decision on its millage and next steps for the library preliminary budget to the full Board of County Commissioners after members raised questions about roughly a $1 million increase from last year’s actual spending and took public comment on book purchasing practices.

At the library’s preliminary budget hearing, First Vice Chair Diana Finnegan pressed for rolling back the proposed increase, saying, "I just don't see how from last year actual to now that I can tell the taxpayers that it's okay for us to get another over $1,000,000 from them." Finnegan urged caution about adding to taxpayers' burden and said she would ask the board to consider a rollback.

Department of Management and Budget Director Tammy Wilson described how the library manages high-demand titles and disposes of items when demand falls. "Once those books have been in our collection and the demand has died down, we do several things happen with those books. We will sometimes return them back to a vendor ... where they're able to give us a credit for those books," Wilson said, adding that sales by Friends of the Library or discarding worn items also occur.

Commissioner Jeff Kennard, who moved to defer the millage decision, said including the library budget in the countywide budget discussion would make it easier to identify where cuts could be made. "Having this overall library budget in that discussion will facilitate making some of those cuts," Kennard said.

Board discussion and public comment focused on three main points: (1) an apparent difference between last year’s actual spending and the proposed figures (board members cited a gap of about $1 million), (2) the library’s ongoing purchase volume for new titles — a speaker at public comment cited a $312,000 expense to purchase about 1,300 books per month — and (3) procedural questions about whether the special library district or the full Board of County Commissioners should finalize the millage.

The board recorded two formal actions on the item. First, the board voted to defer the millage and budget discussion to the Board of County Commissioners; that motion passed 7-0. Later in the meeting the board voted to reconsider the earlier motion, and the motion to reconsider also passed 7-0. The transcript does not specify subsequent formal action after the reconsideration vote; the meeting then closed the item.

The hearing included public comment from Inverness resident John Labriola, who supported Finnegan's call for fiscal prudence and questioned the volume of new books purchased. Library staff clarified that reviewing requests for reconsideration of materials requires staff time and that some costs are recouped through vendor credits or Friends of the Library sales.

The board also noted a paperwork issue: minutes referenced in the agenda were not attached to the packet, prompting a motion to reconsider the earlier motion because the board did not have backup materials to act on at that time.

Why it matters: The millage rate determines tax revenue available to the library system; deferring the decision moves the final choice into the broader county budget process where elected commissioners will weigh the library’s request against countywide priorities and fiscal constraints.

What’s next: The transcript indicates the library millage and budget will return to the full Board of County Commissioners for consideration; no date was specified in the hearing transcript.