At a County Commissioners budget workshop on Thursday, November 12, the Commissioners listened to a presentation from Susan Hauer, Administrator for the Lancaster County Library System. Hauer updated the Commissioners on the budgetary constraints facing the county’s libraries as well as the System itself, and then requested their continued support through the 2010 budget.
According to Hauer, the Library System has managed to stretch deficit funds from 2009 into the 2010 budget, resulting in a savings of $200,000. The 2010 budget will be 8% lower than the year before. Also, Hauer said, the System has reduced the budget by 3% in removing the equivalent of two full time employees from its collections department. These savings, as much as possible, will be passed on to member libraries, Hauer said.
For 2010, Hauer asked that the Commissioners “continue to fund the System at the $2 million level, which would allow us to operate on that deficit budget for 2010, and also to designate the $150,000 that was given last year for the member libraries.” Along with whatever staff savings that System will contribute, Hauer suggested that this $150,000 allocation be distributed to member libraries on a per capita basis.
The per capita formula would be a break from recent practice. As Hauer later explained to NewsLanc, these funds were previously “distributed as a match to municipal appropriations and new monies that were raised by the libraries.” Hauer also said that this strategy would hopefully better serve those libraries—largely urban—that have seen an upsurge in user access since the recession began.
No raises for County employees in 2010
Also at the Thursday meeting, the Commissioners unanimously voted to hold all salary adjustments for County employees at 0% in the 2010 budget. This limit includes both market and merit related increases. According to the Commissioners, collective adjustments for the 2009 budget were at 2.75%.
Commissioner Scott Martin said that, although County leadership desires to reward employees for good performance, these cutbacks are necessary to keep layoffs to a minimum. “Unfortunately, we have some tough decisions to make,” Martin said.
Commissioner Craig Lehman stressed that, as work on the budget progresses, he will push for the same standard to be held to County’s elected officials: “I think elected officials should also receive a 0% salary increase for 2010. That’s my position,” Lehman said, “And I’m going to stick to it.” Martin also agreed that “it needs to be consistent.”
