Dunkirk library district initiative

FACTS AND FIGURES
ABOUT THE LIBRARY’S DISTRICT INITIATIVE
Creating Stable and
Sustainable Funding

www.dunkirk.fundourlibraries.org
 The Dunkirk Library is presently chartered as
an association library
 Library is a free-standing not for profit partially
funded by the city and town through annual
appropriations
 The board of trustees, like all other not for profits,
is self-perpetuating with a nomination process
that is board driven.
WHERE WE STAND

WHERE WE STAND
 Because of the tax cap and many other
competing financial priorities, the Library has
lost over 25% of its funding since 2011
 $10,000 in
funding from
the town has
been flat
since 1998

 These cuts have negatively impacted the
Library. In the last four years:
 208 open hours were cut per year, including
Saturday and evening hours
 Significant reductions to computer classes as
well as no reliable patron assistance
 Curtailed new materials purchases and outreach
WHERE WE STAND

WHERE WE STAND
 Our staff has been severely depleted
 Forced to cut full time computer staff in Feb. 2013
 More times than not, staff members work 2 or more
hours alone with little time for patron one-on-one help
 Maintenance staff hours have also been cut
 Funding has gone down while costs have gone
up
 Rise in minimum wage
 Increased costs of technology, books and periodicals,
utilities and building maintenance

DUNKIRK NEEDS OUR LIBRARY
 In 2014
 Over 53,000 people came to the Library
 There are 13,881 people in our service area
 Over 41,000 items were circulated, including
downloadable eBooks
 4,479 reference questions were answered
 Close to 6,500 people attended Library programs
 Our public computers were used 17,381 times

 The values of all library
programs and services
in 2014 was
$914,413.50
 For every tax dollar
invested in the library,
you received a public
service return on
investment of $6.97

 Stagnant funding or continued cuts to the
Library will further damage our ability to
operate
 Risk decreasing hours to below state
standards
 The community has told us they want a
stronger, more vibrant library

LIBRARY DISTRICT IS THE ANSWER
 The Library’s Board of Trustees have decided to
become a library district that shares the school
district’s boundaries
 Called a School District Public Library in State Ed
law because of the shared boundaries
 District will be established by a vote of school
district residents with a base level of funding
 Provide stable library support
 School district voters elect 7 library trustees
 Each petitions to get on the ballot

 Library will live within its own tax cap based
on the initial level of community-based
funding voted upon by school district voters
 By law, the school district collects the
library’s funding and turns it over to the
library
 Library may put a new budget before the
voters each year

 The Library will be completely independent
of both the Dunkirk City School District, the
City of Dunkirk and the Town of Dunkirk
 But, will have the funding it needs to create
needed community collaborations with both

COMMUNITY BASED FUNDING
 The Library will be asking school district
voters to establish the library district with
$350,000 in community-based funding
 Restores what the Library has lost and will
enable us to strengthen and create new
library programs and services
 Funding will put Library on solid financial
footing and provide sustainability

OUR NUMBERS TODAY

 The vast
majority of
funding comes
from the City
 Lost 25% since
2011
 Raise some
funding
 Depleted our
reserve to
balance
budget
OUR NUMBERS TODAY

COMMUNITY-BASED FUNDING
 Our community-based funding will amount
to 47 cents per $1,000 of assessed value
 For a home assessed at $45,639, you
would pay $21.15 annually for the Library
 40 cents per week—way less than the cost of
a cup of coffee per week

PERCENTAGE OF ALL CITY TAXES PAID
 For school district
residents who live
in the city, the
Library’s
community based
funding would
amount to 0.72%
(less than 1%) of
all your taxes

PERCENTAGE OF ALL TOWN TAXES PAID
 For school
district residents
who live in the
town, the
Library’s
community
based funding
would amount to
1.16% of all your
taxes

IF THE DISTRICT IS APPROVED
 Increase open hours
 Create new and enhance existing children’s
programming
 Increase adult programming including
computer classes, a Book Club and a
Crafting Club
 Increase new materials budget for books,
magazines, DVDs, audio books

IF THE DISTRICT IS APPROVED
 Purchase new technology including desktop
computers and laptops/tablets for in-library
borrowing
 Enhance staffing to develop computer
classes, community outreach and other new
programming and services
 Improve storage and circulation of audio
books and DVDs

IF THE DISTRICT IS NOT APPROVED
 Slash open hours to the minimum allowed by
law
 Close on Saturdays
 Cut new materials budget over 30%
 Fewer new books and new DVDs
 Curtail children’s programming
 Story Time
 Summer Reading Program

IF THE DISTRICT IS NOT APPROVED
 Eliminate computer classes
 Cut technology upgrades and maintenance
forcing patrons to use aging computers,
software and facilities
 More staff cuts
 Eliminate videoconferencing capability

WHERE AND WHEN
 The vote to create the Library District will be
on the Tuesday, May 19th school district
ballot
 Voting will take place from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
at your usual school district polling place
 Absentee ballots are available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
 www.dunkirk.fundourlibraries.org
 Janice Dekoff, Library Director
 366-2511
 JDekoff@cclslib.org

Dunkirk library district initiative

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