Macon library supporters rally for more funding

Archived News

Macon library supporters rally for more funding

fr maconlibrary Macon County commissioners weren’t exactly sure what to expect when they saw Thing 1 and Thing 2 sitting in the front row at the proposed budget public hearing.

Cristen Dando and Maggie Kennedy were dressed up as the recognizable Dr. Seuss characters to make a point about the valuable services the library provides for its residents — especially children. Dando and Kennedy, who both work in the library’s youth services, read a Seuss-like poem aloud expressing their concerns about what may happen to services and operating hours if the library doesn’t receive more funding in this year’s budget.

“You support our 3 libraries, we know, and we’re giddy, that we can be open for seniors and parents and kiddies,” they read. “We’re grateful, believe us, but we need a bit more. We asked for an increase and the percent is just 4.”

The proposed budget allocates $999,390 for Macon County’s three libraries, which are part of the Fontana Regional Library System. The figure is the same amount the libraries received last year — but employees and supporters say it’s not enough.

Library asks for more money

Macon County Librarian Karen Wallace told commissioners she requested an additional 4 percent in the budget — about $40,000 — to be able to give employees a raise and to replace aging technology. She said many of the computers are 10 years old and are often out of service, which hinders the library’s ability to serve the public.

Related Items

“We realize there are many needs to be met in Macon County and commissioners have difficult funding decisions to make,” Wallace said. “But we provide vital services to the citizen of Macon County and the number of people using those services continues to grow.”

While inflation has increased 10 percent since 2008, Wallace said the library has only received a 4 percent increase — about $38,000 more — since then. The estimated population of Macon County is about 34,000 and the number of people with active library cards is 31,000. Wallace said more than a quarter of a million people visited the library in the last year.

In an effort to cut costs, Wallace said the library has utilized more volunteers and cut three full time employees to avoid cutting services or hours of operations.

“We’ve trimmed and economized all we can, but without an increase in funding, we’ll need to cut hours or services.”

Currently, the Franklin Library is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Hudson Library in Highlands is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The Nantahala Community Library is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Wallace said more people are utilizing the library’s digital resources, including computers, DVDs and e-books. She said many residents rely on the computers at the library to apply for jobs, file their taxes, take online classes and do research for school.

In addition to replacing old copiers, printers and computers, Wallace said she wanted to be able to give her employees a 1.7 percent cost of living raise.

Supporters weigh in

There was standing room only at the public hearing and the only budget line item people were interested in was the library funding.

Narelle Kirkland was one of six residents who spoke in support of increasing funding to the library. With no computer at home, Kirkland said the library was an essential tool when it came to researching her book about World War I that will be published this year.

“I had to draw constantly on the resources and personnel at the library — I’m very grateful to the staff,” Kirkland said. As someone who has visited most of the libraries in the region, Kirkland added, “Karen Wallace is running the best library facility in surrounding counties area. We owe her a debt of gratitude.”

Bill Van Horn with the Nantahala Hiking Club reminded the commissioners that many organizations, including his hiking club, use the library as meeting space each month. American Red Cross also holds regular blood drives at the library.

Max West said the library put on one of the largest children’s events he’s ever seen earlier this year and more than 200 people attended the event, including his young daughter. Even when the library isn’t open, West can download an e-book online at any time through the library’s website.

“The library truly is one of the few community resources that serves the entirety of the community,” he said.

County to revisit issue

Commission Chairman Kevin Corbin said commissioners were inundated with emails and phone calls from residents concerned about library funding. To get a clear picture of how much the county allocates to the library, Corbin said he asked County Manager Derek Roland to provide more details during the hearing.

Roland said the county allocates almost $1 million to the library each year, which is about 2.1 percent of the county’s overall budget. When comparing its funding to other counties in the Fontana Library system, he said Macon allocated more per capita than Jackson and Swain counties.

In addition to providing operational funding, Roland said the county also spends about $475,000 a year toward paying off the Franklin library building, which was constructed in 2008.

As the liaison to the library, Commissioner Ronnie Beale said he spoke to Wallace about her request for $40,000 in this year’s budget. He suggested commissioners revisit the request in six months when the board has a better idea of how much revenue will be coming in from the state.

Sales tax revenue is up significantly but the county is only budgeting a conservative 3-percent increase because the state is looking to change the sales tax distribution formula for the counties. If the formula is changed, Macon County could stand to lose $1 million.

“So let’s come back in six months and see where we’re at and see what we can do to help them,” Beale said. “I make no promise but we certainly want the library to have good equipment.”