Tax plans a worry for libraries

Angela Soo

Monday, May 21, 2001 | 10:23 a.m.

As Clark County continues to experience fast growth, its libraries might have to slow down their pace to meet substantial revenue losses.

Board members for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District on Thursday adopted a budget for July 2001 to June 2002 that reflected a "conservative and status quo" budget, Nancy Ledeboer, deputy director of the library district, said.

The newly adopted budget amounted to $45.9 million for the operation of 24 libraries, which is a $200,000 decrease from last year.

Library officials pointed to two legislative proposals as the reasons for their moderate financial forecast: Assembly Bills 457 and 653.

AB457 would take away the district's portion of the motor vehicle tax to use for teachers' salaries. That accounts for 30 percent of the library's general fund revenue.

AB653 would redistribute taxes among municipal governments to account for an inequity fast-growing cities such as Henderson have complained about.

If both bills pass, the library district would have to compensate for a $2 million loss over the next two years in its general fund, library officials said. The general fund covers the day-to-day operating costs for all of the libraries and comprises 75 percent of the budget.

Although library officials are worried about the setback, they consider the problem to be more of a strategic one. The phrase "reallocating existing resources" was frequently used throughout the budget meeting.

"Sometimes you have to look at what the staff are doing and ask how much does this benefit the customers." Ledeboer said. "If it doesn't really benefit anyone, then we shift our resources to meet top priorities."

Assuming they would not have money to hire new people for outreach programs, library officials moved staff from other positions to meet community demands.

"We're remaining positive and hopeful," Ledeboer said. "We have not decided in cutting services."

Despite the budget cut, the general fund increased 4.9 percent or $1.7 million, since last year. The increase was mainly attributed to a raise in salaries and benefits, which amounts to $20 million or 62 percent of the general fund.

What kept the library district within its budget was a 40 percent decrease in capital spending, which is used to build new facilities and renovate old ones. The library district doesn't plan on tackling sizable construction projects in the coming fiscal year.

The library will concentrate its efforts on providing more outreach programs, expanding its Spanish material collection and improving its virtual library system, officials said.

"If we had all the money in the world, we would just add all these things," Ledeboer said. "We can't be everything to everybody. We have to choose the priorities that best meet the community."