Washington County libraries will be open fewer hours in 2012. What still must be decided is how many of the system's nine branches will continue to operate and how many hours a week each will be staffed.
Library officials know that there is at least $223,000 cut from next year's budget, but that number could be higher depending on how things shook out at the State Capitol, where legislators ended a three-week budget deadlock.
In anticipation of the cuts, library officials created eight fiscal models, four of which presume cuts of only $223,000 and four that show what service could look like if the system were to take another 3 percent cut.
The current library budget is about $6 million, and director Pat Conley expects next year's budget to be in the neighborhood of $5.8 million. The County Board will set the budget when it adopts its 2012 budget.
Under each scenario, most branches would see a reduction in hours, some would be open fewer days of the week, and some could close altogether and be replaced with a Library Express station, such as the one in Hugo, where patrons order books that are delivered to lockers outside City Hall.
"Every plan has a plus and minus," Conley said. "It's like any business. You don't want to spread resources too thin, and you want to maximize your ability to be an effective organization. It's a tough call."
The system now operates with the equivalent of 61.7 full-time employees who staff nine branches for a total of 349 hours a week.
One proposal for next year would retain seven branches that would be open seven days a week. Another would keep all nine branches, but they would operate five or six days a week. A third option would have six branches operating seven days a week, and a fourth would scale the system back to five locations open seven days a week.
