A Message from the Library Director
Dear library patrons,
All library branches will be closed from Monday, March 29 through Saturday, April 3 as a cost-saving measure. All employees will be on an unpaid furlough leave during this time. The Library’s website will not be available, bins for returning library materials will be locked, community meeting rooms will not be available, and all NOLS buildings will go dark. All NOLS libraries will reopen for business on Monday, April 5 at their regular times.
The savings in employee salaries will amount to about $35,000 for this one-week period. Other savings in such areas as utilities are estimated to be about $1000. The Library Board is implementing this library closure, and a second one in late summer 2010, to help close an anticipated $163,000 budget shortfall. The balance of the shortfall will be made up by other personnel reductions, buying fewer new books and other materials and by transferring approximately $88,000 from the Library District’s reserve funds. The budget gap is the result of the cumulative effects of inflation, the loss of timber revenue, and Washington law which caps the Library’s property tax budget at no more than a 1% increase per year without a vote of the people.
The Library Board is considering asking the voters of Clallam County to approve a property tax levy rate increase from 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to 50 cents per $1,000 in November 2010. For more information about this proposal, go to NOLS-2012.
The closure dates of March 29-April 3 and August 30-September 4 were selected for several reasons. Two separate one-week closures allow the Library to maximize the savings derived from shuttering its buildings and technology. These dates also minimize the impact on the Library’s staff by allowing them to spread what is the equivalent of a 3.8% wage cut over four paychecks (March, April, August and September). The Library employs 51 people throughout Clallam County, 45 of whom are members of the union Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). All employees including administration and management staff will be put on unpaid leave during the furlough periods. The Library Board and I appreciate the cooperation of the employee union in agreeing to these furloughs.
Sincerely,
Paula Barnes
Library Director