Triangle library cuts draw backlash amid budget crunch
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Proposed cuts to public libraries are starting to draw protests in the Triangle.
Why it matters: Libraries are a small slice of county spending, but local leaders hoping to avoid steep tax hikes see a potential for savings.
By the numbers: All three of the Triangle's county managers recommended changing library budgets, even as circulation grows.
- In Wake County, a budget proposal would move about $2 million in housekeeping-related funding from the library system to General Services as part of an operational shift. County spokesperson Alice Avery said the change is not a cut to library services.
- Durham County's proposal drops spending 3.6% from what was budgeted last year, saving around $500,000. Library locations count nearly 700,000 visits a year, with circulation around 4 million.
Zoom in: Orange County is considering making a different kind of cut — phasing out its annual payments to Chapel Hill Public Library over the next two years, eventually saving over $600,000 a year.
- That's around 12.5% or 14.4% of the town's library budget, depending who you ask. The county is also considering cutting over $100,000 this year from the budget for its main library in Hillsborough and the newly opened Carrboro branch.
- Approximately 15,000 Orange County residents who don't live in Chapel Hill have accounts at the town library, where circulation is around 1.2 million.
State of play: Tax increases are proposed in all three counties, with managers citing "the current economic climate" and the state "forcing our hand" by not contributing enough to schools, per News & Observer reporting.
- Durham County Manager Claudia Hager said there is "a delicate balancing act between limited resources, resident economic stress and nearly infinite needs," Indy Week reported from Monday night's budget presentation.
- "It's a very tight budget year," Orange County spokesperson Wil Glenn emphasizes.
What they're saying: Wake County librarians rallied outside a Board of Commissioners meeting Monday night, saying the growing population is already straining the library system.
- Librarian Zac Morgan said over the past year, "we've been struggling to keep the same level of service going" and "it's wearing a lot of people out," per Indy Week.
Between the lines: Local government budgets tend to grow every year, and county managers say tax revenue isn't growing fast enough to keep pace.
- To minimize property tax hikes, they have to suggest cuts be made somewhere, and trimming money for discretionary services like libraries can be more palatable than shrinking programs that deal with education or public safety.
- Glenn points out that counties, unlike cities and towns, have several areas they're mandated to fund, like schools, social services, local jails, emergency management and public health departments.
What's next: County commissioners will listen to public comments at hearings this month.
- Wake County's is Monday, May 18 at 2pm.
- Durham County's is Tuesday, May 26 at 7pm.
- Orange County has three in the next two weeks.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the change in the library budget reflects an operational shift, per Wake County spokesperson Alice Avery.