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Library seeks to restore book purchasing, cover new technology and programming costs
Summary
At the May 14 Lincoln County budget hearings, the library presenter said the proposed budget would reinstate book purchasing (~$10,000 average), add $2,400 for copy-machine contract coverage, and raise funds for summer programming and technology hosting while salaries remain pending.
Jo, the library’s representative, outlined the library’s budget proposal at the Lincoln County May 14 budget hearing, saying the plan would reinstate book purchasing, cover new technology costs and restore some programming that was paused in recent years.
Jo told the panel that office supplies would rise by $1,000 to cover paper and ink and that new copy machines are under contract, adding about $2,400 in costs for the Eureka and Libby branches. "We are going to have start buying our own paper and ink and all of those things," Jo said, and noted the budget also reflects increases in website hosting and other recurring platform fees.
The presenter said the library had not been processing new book purchases because of an absent book budget; she recommended reinstating book buying based on a three-year historical average of about $10,000. Jo called for a $2,500 increase for recreational supplies and speaker fees to restore summer programming and said educational supplies this year included a small children’s order and magazine/newspaper subscriptions that totaled about $4,334.
Jo also reported utilities were budgeted at $25,000 with roughly $17,000 spent so far, and warned that repairs and maintenance had been largely paid out of other accounts this year and may need restoration. She summarized a preliminary total for the lines discussed at about $153,000 but noted wages, salaries and insurance figures were not yet included because those numbers were pending from Dallas.
Why it matters: restoring the book budget and programming increases affects library services countywide, while the missing wage and insurance figures mean the final impact on the county general fund is not yet known. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about offsets and total net increase; Jo said staff would reconcile the numbers and return with finalized totals.
Next steps: county staff will reconcile wages and insurance figures when they become available and finalize the library’s total budget request.
