County libraries tentatively stable

Bethany Lange, Herald Reporter
Posted 8/4/17

Libraries surviving for now

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

County libraries tentatively stable

Posted

EVANSTON — The Uinta County Library budget crisis has been deferred for a little longer, but not without great cost to employees and services.

Both library branches in Bridger Valley will remain open this upcoming fiscal year, thanks to community support and months of number-crunching. However, business manager Candace Eubanks said that all three library branches are operating on a budget of about 20 percent less than last year to run all three libraries, and even that number was reached only after several layoffs, benefit cuts and other changes. 

Eubanks said that the only concrete budget figure the library has is its estimated portion of the property taxes, but even that number is subject to change if people do not pay their property taxes. Other things like fines and printing bring in a little side income as well, but not much. 

There are some tax refunds due as well; the county discovered last year that Merit Energy paid too much in taxes in 2012, so all county entities will have to pay toward that over the next several years. The library was given a five-year repayment plan for its $28,500 debt, making this year’s refund $5,000, and it may also have to pay back $23,000 to Chevron and $3,883 in tax abatements.

The budget required a barrage of cuts. The valley branches have been reduced to 28 hours per week, the valley branch managers are limited to 20 hours a week.  The library no longer provides dental and vision coverage, and five employees have been laid off. 

Some weeks ago, the Herald reported that closing a library branch in the valley could potentially save upwards of $200,000, mostly on staffing, but that was not limited to valley staff. Eubanks explained that those savings would have been the combination of seven layoffs throughout the county — including the five positions that were already cut system-wide between April and June. 

Those positions were the Uinta County Library director, George Strawley, the children’s assistant from each library branch and the acquisitions position in Evanston. 

“With the exception of the director, those positions went away,” Eubanks said. “We will never be able to get those positions back, unless there is a significant uptick in money, but once a position is dissolved, it is very hard to get that position back. That’s how serious this is. … But we had no choice.”

Because of all the drastic changes made in the last year, Eubanks is asking patrons to be patient as the depleted staff tries to meet all of the public’s needs as fully as possible. 

She also commented that to have to lay off the director was a severe blow — a decision that has “flabbergasted” other libraries. 

Without a director, acting director Claire Francis has assumed many of those duties on top of her work in Adult Services, and the other staff — whose wages have been stagnant for 10 years on top of this year’s cut to benefits — have absorbed additional responsibilities as well. Even so, Eubanks said, the employees have been very understanding.

“Everyone here and in the valley is here because they love what they do, and they love the patrons,” she said, saying that the employees still go around with smiles on their faces, enjoying opportunities to talk about books with patrons and serve the community. 

Love for the job aside, though, some of the cuts have been too much for some employees. The branch managers in the valley, for instance, have been cut to 20 hours a week on top of the other changes. 

“It is hard on the ladies in the valley because this was their sole source of income,” Eubanks said. “We lost one of them at the end of July, but she has been replaced with a staff member with years of experience and who will retain the amazing relationships with the community.

Budget cuts were also made to library materials, supplies and equipment purchases, although professional services, operating costs and maintenance have increased. The cash reserves are also a third of what they were last year. 

But the library is not left without support. 

The communities have rallied, though Eubanks said that momentum has to continue. If attention, involvement, and support wane, a library branch may have to close next year. Eubanks said that the library has been given one more year to make the budget work before even more drastic changes are made. 

“People do not realize how important something is until they think it’s going to go away, and we had a huge outpouring from the valley when they were worried that Mountain View was going to close,” she said. “That support must continue. We need the support of our community because we are a community organization.”

She implores people to support the library however they can. That support can mean anything from simply using services and checking out materials from the library to donating time and money.

Donating to Uinta County Library Foundation is one way for people to support the library financially. The foundation, a 501(c)3, provides new materials for the library (books, magazines, movies, CDs, books on CD and newspapers) as well as special programs like the fiber arts festival and quilt show. 

The library also has an endowment fund, which is different from the foundation because endowment donations stay in the fund permanently and the library simply takes a dividend every year.

And, of course, volunteering is crucial, especially as the library is so short-staffed. Employees are stepping up to work across departments where there is a need, which Eubanks said is one of the reasons why things are still flowing well, but regular volunteers are a huge help. 

“Community involvement is key to the longevity of the library,” she said.