GARY -- Financial woes appear to be coming to a head, as Gary Public Library board members wrestle with plummeting property tax revenues and tax collection rates and a 50 percent cut in the operating budget.
The board has scheduled a meeting for noon today at the main library, 220 W. 5th Ave., to get input from area government officials and the public on what its next steps should be, including closing at least two of the system's six libraries, said board President Tony Walker.
"We invited every single member of each appointing body of the library board, because we have to address these issues," he said. Those bodies include the City Council, the School Board, County Council and County Board of Commissioners.
"There will be library closures, period."
The system's budget is expected to be cut in half, from $6.4 million to $3.2 million, Walker said. The library has about $3 million in reserve funds, but using those reserves to continue operating will not happen, he insisted.
The board refuses to follow the route of Gary city officials, who are appealing for state help. Library officials don't want to lose full control of their operations to the soon-to-be defunct state Distressed Unit Appeals Board.
The library system also has to move toward more contemporary resources, like digital books and other technologies, that take up less space and use fewer workers and resources, Walker said.
Another sure thing is the Tolleston branch, one of the oldest in the system, will remain closed. The building was closed last month due to mold and other problems with the building.
That means one more branch is likely to close and that could be the main library on 5th Avenue, if Walker gets his way.
The building has had problems, including flooding in the basement, and money used to operate the flagship property could be used to update another branch, like the DuBois branch, to house administrative offices, he added.
The meeting comes shortly after library officials and leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2760, which represents 48 employees, reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement. The board has not yet approved the deal and talk of closing branches could impact that agreement.
Cassandra Stigger, the union's staff representative, said AFSCME has little power over decisions the board makes on the library buildings.
She said until the new agreement is approved by the board that she expects the board to stick to the old contract and its "bumping rights," allowing workers with seniority to displace younger workers for spots.
Union officials also expect the board to give 30 days notice before shutting down any buildings that could displace workers, Stigger said.
"The best I can hope to come out of this is that we don't lose anyone," she said. "At this point in time, nobody wants to lose their jobs."