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Newton County Library board warns funding shortfall will force cuts after 16 years of flat appropriation
Summary
Library trustees and staff urged the Board of Commissioners to increase county funding for FY26, saying 16 years of flat local support and rising personnel and benefits costs have exhausted reserves and forced deep staff reductions.
Zach Ames, chair of the Newton County Library Board, and Library Director Lise Keaton told the Board of Commissioners at the FY26 appropriation workshop that the system needs an increase in county funding after 16 years without a substantive rise.
Ames said the library has operated for years on a shrinking reserve and flat county appropriations. "This is year 16 that we were asking for an increase," he said, adding the board wants to keep libraries open and expand services. Keaton told commissioners the system circulated about 220,000 items in FY24 and handled roughly 81,000 in-person visits despite a two-month closure for repairs at the Covington branch.
The treasurer of the library board, Frank Turner, warned of immediate financial pressure if the county does not increase the appropriation. He told commissioners that state rules require the county not to reduce local funding from the prior year or the library risks losing state funding. Turner summarized the operational squeeze this way: "With the $916,000, this year, we'll buy $455,000 worth of goods. Money don't buy what it used to buy." He said the library has cut staff from about 41 positions historically to 12 today and has been drawing down reserves to maintain operations.
Board members and library trustees described services that would be at risk without additional money: reduced hours, fewer programs (including early literacy kits, book delivery through the PINES consortium, a summer reading program and financial-literacy programming for children), and inability to cover rising retirement and health-care costs tied to the Board of Regents plan that covers library employees. Keaton said library payroll-related costs alone are projected to rise substantially under the Regents' health plan: "In 2032...we paid $743 per employee. In fiscal 26, we gotta pay a thousand $885 per person. That's gonna eat in our budget like crazy."
Commissioners asked about volunteer support, rental revenue and grant activity. Keaton and Turner said the system pursues grants and uses volunteers for limited tasks but that grants are typically restricted to specific programs ("sprinkles on ice cream") and do not cover ongoing operating costs such as staff salaries and benefits. Turner said some revenue sources such as small facility-use fees or election-related payments are minimal and do not offset the larger structural shortfall.
Commissioner comments indicated sympathy for the library's position and a desire to explore options during budget deliberations. Keaton invited commissioners and the public to attend the library board's next meeting on May 1.
The library officials asked the county to consider an increase above the current appropriation (the FY25 local appropriation listed in the library presentation was $916,000) to avoid deeper cuts and the permanent loss of services.
Ending: Library leaders urged the commission to weigh the loss of state matching funds and the practical effects of further staff reductions when it finalizes the FY26 budget; the library board will meet May 1, when trustees expect to continue outreach to county leaders.
