Dodged a bullet
The City libraries were closed today for staff “Convocation” It’s a big, all-day meeting for all staff. One of the things the Director addressed right at the start was budget.
It seems the projected 22% cut, whittled down to 15% is going to be only 8%. No jobs will be lost, no hours will be cut. That is, no hours that we’re open to the public will be cut. There may be behind the scenes adjustments.
For me, that’s a great big, Whew!
True, I work at three branches between two quadrants. You might think that would insulate me somewhat from hours and staff reductions. It really makes me more vulnerable.
Next week will probably be my last week at Lincoln Branch. The job where I’ve been subbing one morning a week has been filled. The new clerk, a real nice guy named Rob, started this past Monday.
(BTW, I considered applying for the position, but decided against it at the last minute. I like the staff at Lincoln, I like the patrons too. But a low ceiling, painted black, and poor lighting, make it difficult for me to maintain my good cheer there one day a week. I don’t want to test what five days would do to my spirits.)
A projected 15% cut in open hours would have eliminated the need for my one afternoon a week at Sully Branch. Part-timers are limited to 20-hour workweeks, and there is just one shift that can’t be filled by the other clerks. Rather than hire someone for one afternoon a week, I work there instead. A 15% reduction in hours means the other clerks could cover without exceeding their 20-hour limit.
Then, if we lost 15% of the hours at Winton Branch too, I’d have been down to quarter-time. Without any belt-tightening, my monthly budget comes up $5 short at quarter-time.
Difficult as that would be, it’s nothing compared to what the library finance director, the city budget director and the mayor have to contend with. There’s a $35-million budget gap for the year beginning July 1.
To put that into perspective, the gap is ten times the entire library budget. That gap has increased by 10%—or the amount of the entire library budget—since they began working on the new budget in January.
I am grateful for a mayor who puts the money where his mouth is. He has made a major commitment to literacy and education as a means to both crime prevention and raising the standard of living in the city. The library spearheads the literacy initiative, and the mayor has confirmed his commitment to us, and to the citizens the initiative supports, by maintaining funding.
Something else will have to give, and I feel for the employees and citizens who will be affected. As a city resident, cuts to services will effect me too. At the same time, I’m thanking my lucky stars that my employment will remain intact—for at least the next year.
