Harney County budget officer proposes cutting one library position; residents and foundation urge alternatives

At a public hearing on the Harney County library budget, County Judge and budget officer Bill Hart said he will propose removing one full-time equivalent (FTE) staff position from the library in next year's proposed budget, estimating the reduction would save roughly $30,000.

The proposal came as Hart and other county officials outlined longer-term fiscal pressures: a 14-year trend they said shows library spending rose at about 5% per year while county available revenues grew about 3% per year. Hart told the hearing those diverging trends, delinquent tax accounts and unsettled union negotiations for sheriff's staff leave the county with limited flexibility as it plans the next budget cycle.

Residents and library advocates urged the county to pursue alternatives before eliminating staff. Lori O'Connor, a founding member of the Library Foundation, described the foundation's history of building and protecting the library endowment and said foundation leaders once withdrew principal in error but later agreed to protect the fund. Holly Smith, a member of the budget board, asked the court to place the foundation agreement and the foundation's required annual review on a future agenda and to press the foundation to increase contributions.

Several residents described the library as a community hub. "We don't have that anywhere," Kristen Armes said, describing the library as a place where residents spend time and gather. Speakers noted the library's services reach beyond Burns and Hines to small communities across Harney County and that volunteers and grants are helpful but require staff time to manage.

Hart explained how the new administrative/payroll position was funded this year (through other departmental savings, including an assessor office vacancy) and said the county will continue reviewing travel and other line items for potential savings. He confirmed the library currently has 5.25 FTEs and said decisions about which hours or duties would change if a position is removed would be made by the librarian if the cut is adopted.

Public questions at the hearing also pressed the county on enterprise-zone incentives, rainy-day reserve targets and whether the budget committee or county court holds final approval authority. Hart and other commissioners described the budget process: departmental pre-review, a presented proposed budget to the budget committee and final adoption by the county court.

Before adjourning, Hart added a brief recorded correction: he said he had misstated the county's operating reserve earlier in the hearing. He said the correct projected operating reserve at the end of the current fiscal year will be "just a little over $1,000,000," not the $2,000,000 figure he had previously cited, and reiterated that a six-month operating reserve target would be in the $4 million to $6 million range.

The proposed deletion of one library FTE was described as part of the budget officer's proposed budget; no formal vote or final adoption occurred at the hearing. The county court and budget committee will continue budget work in the coming months and the county judge said he intends to meet with the foundation as part of the annual communication called for in the foundation's 2006 resolutions.