[Lekooks] Fwd: Let's advocate for the Oconomowoc Public Library!

[Stephanie Tsoris]

Forwarding some info if anyone is interested in attending this meeting to show support for the public library:

Tuesday, October 18, 7:30 pm: Common Council Meeting, Council Chambers (2nd floor City Hall). There is the opportunity to speak at this meeting, or you could just be in the room as a supporter. 
If not available for the meetings, please call or email your aldermen, contact info here: oconomowoc-wi.gov/225/Common-Council

~Steph

Begin forwarded message:

> From: OPL Friends <friendsoplmail at gmail.com>
> Date: October 9, 2022 at 10:55:02 PM CDT
> To: OPL Friends <friendsoplmail at gmail.com>
> Subject: Let's advocate for the Oconomowoc Public Library!
> 
> 
> Dear Friends,
> The Oconomowoc Public Library needs help from its Friends. During a recent budget meeting, the Oconomowoc Common Council voted to cut the Library's budget for 2023 by $50,000. This cut would change the Library as we know it, and result in reduced service to our community. But the good news is, there is still time to help! 
> Please come to these meetings to let the Common Council know your thoughts on this:
> Tuesday October 11, 6 pm: Committee of the Whole, Council Chambers (2nd floor City Hall). There is no opportunity to speak, but we need a large number of people in the room as a physical show of support. You could even make a sign; something positive in support of the Library. 
> Tuesday, October 18, 7:30 pm: Common Council Meeting, Council Chambers (2nd floor City Hall). There is the opportunity to speak at this meeting, or you could just be in the room as a supporter. 
> If not available for the meetings, please call or email your aldermen, contact info here: oconomowoc-wi.gov/225/Common-Council
> What would this budget cut mean to the Library?
> Reducing the number of hours they are open to serve the public. This would be difficult for those who depend on the Library for study/work/reading/meeting after work and on weekends.
> Cutting staff: The Library Board would need to decide if they cut service to all patrons (circulation and/or reference) or target babies, preschoolers, school-age, teens, adults, newly retired adults, or the elderly. Another long-term cost of this idea is what it would do to existing staff, who would take on more duties with less time, and who are already stretched thin providing current services.
> A cut to the book budget. This will increase Oconomowoc patrons' wait times for popular titles, because OPL patrons will get the "leftovers" after patrons from other libraries, due to how our system fills holds. Further, this would hurt the Library financially, because it could decrease checkouts from County residents, which would reduce the Library's reimbursements for serving County residents.
> A cut to the Library's programming budget, which is already quite small, and is already subsidized by the Friends of the Library and other generous donors. Programs are a critical way in which the Library serves its mission of providing opportunities for citizens to "explore, discover, learn, and grow, enriching individual lives and our community." 
> The Board will look for any cuts they can, but to get all the way to $50,000 would require a change to the Library as we know it. 
> Need some numbers and context?
> The Library's budget request for 2023 is just a 1.36% increase from last year. While the Library's total 2023 budget request is $65,000 higher than last year, the Library's revenue will be up $47,000 to offset that increase, mostly due to County reimbursement. So the increase the Library is requesting from the City is only $18,000 more than last year (again, that's just 1.36%). It is remarkable that the Library is able to keep the increase that low, considering inflation's effects on the cost of goods and services the Library depends upon.
> You may have heard that the City funds the Library $140,00 more than it has to. It is true that there is a bare minimum allowed by law that the City can tax residents for the library. But that minimum is not an indicator of what it costs to run the library. It is not a “recommended” level of funding. Rather, it is to make sure that City residents are being taxed at at least the rate of other County residents for Library services. Do we want to be a bare minimum community with a bare minimum library? I don't think so. There are just three municipalities in all of Waukesha County that fund their libraries at that bare minimum; all much smaller than Oconomowoc. Our Library is a gem in our very special community. Let's keep it that way! Please do come out and show your support at the meetings listed above, or contact the Common Council today.
> 
> Sincerely,
> The Friends of the Oconomowoc Public Library Board of Directors
> 
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