Agenda - 09-16-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 19 Tonya Walton said the libraries experienced a $122,000 net county increase in 2014 -15. She said the main budget drivers are COLA adjustments and reclassifications. She reviewed the following budget drivers related to the strategic plan: Budget drivers: • New Position Request: The FY 2014 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes a Communication Specialist (1.0 FTE), effective January 1, 2015 ($25,861). Existing nonpermanent funds will partially offset position costs, which total $5,460. This position would oversee dissemination of department specific information to the public, promote and enhance the public image of the library within county government and work with local organizations and community groups. • Recurring Capital: The Main Library's budget includes funds for the replacement of 133 shelves ($15,295). The original shelves moved from the Library's old location, in the Whitted Building; the current shelf height is prohibitive to effective library operations and security measures. Tonya Walton said there are $32,600 in new initiatives in operations, ranging from electronic databases to volunteer programming. She said the current capital also includes $17,000 to replace frames attached to shelving to address security needs. She referred to the non - departmental item on page 362. She said this outlines contributions to the Mebane and Chapel Hill Library. She said the contributions to the Chapel Hill Public library totals $568,139 this year, which is 30 percent of the total Orange County library operations. Lucinda Munger said the Interlocal agreement with Chapel Hill listed a goal of reaching this 30 percent goal by 2015, so the Board has now exceeded that goal by getting to this number earlier. Commissioner Rich asked if a new interlocal agreement will be negotiated between Orange County and Chapel Hill. Lucinda Munger said yes. Michael Talbert said the original interlocal agreement was for 3 years. Chair Jacobs noted that part of this agreement was interoperability, and no progress has been made. Lucinda Munger said the last time the elected officials work group met was in December 2013. She reviewed some of these meeting outcomes, and said she can send a summary of that meeting to the Board of County Commissioners again. Lucinda Munger said the state library is actively working toward and funding for libraries to have one library card for the entire state. She said there is no downside to the sharing of materials between libraries. Commissioner McKee said if things don't move forward with regard to interoperability, he would propose reducing the contribution to the Chapel Hill Library next budget season. Commissioner Dorosin questioned why there is difficulty with this. Chair Jacobs said it is a combination of things. He said the Friends of the Chapel Hill Library put a lot of money into purchasing books that they do not want circulated outside of the Chapel Hill Library system; some people think it is too difficult to differentiate what should be circulated; and some of it is that one side is content with things the way they are, while the other side is not. He said the County collection is considered inferior by some people involved. He said there is another negotiation in November. He said the circulation issues seem to be an IT issue. Lucinda Munger said the technology is no longer the obstacle, as there is a product available that will allow the two systems to communicate.