Library may seek mill levy in light of budget cuts

Voters may be asked this fall to vote on a mill levy to fund the Havre-Hill County Library.

Rachel Rawn, the library director, said the cash-strapped city of Havre will cut its contribution to the library by about $30,000, and that kind of cut will cause a problem in continuing the services the library provides.

Although the library is a city department, it is funded by the city and Hill County. The city makes a direct contribution, while the county has a three-mill levy that goes directly to the library.

Rawn said the reduction in city funding will bring the budget to about $290,000 annually.

That would mean a reduction in purchasing materials or would require the elimination of one position.

“Next year, we will be buying nearly no books,” she said.

If a position were to be reduced, she said, she feared that several special programs the library puts on for the community would have to be eliminated.

Even if the voters approved the mill levy in the Nov. 8 election, it would not be put into effect until the fall of 2017, she said. So the reductions would be in effect for at least one year.

But if the mill levy is approved, it will allow the library to return to its old level of spending in 2018, she said.

Rawn said Hill County Attorney Gina Dahl is looking into options.

The Hill County Commissioners plan a meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the library mill levy.

The matter came to light at the May 2 City Council meeting. Earlier, council members indicated they favored a proposal to keep the price for photocopies at their present levels rather than raise them to the same price the public pays when they ask for copies from other departments.

Rawn argued — and most council members seemed to agree — that many people using library services are lower-income people and the higher prices would be a burden

But on May 2, City Council decided to charge the same in the library as in other departments, arguing that the lower prices would cost the library revenue when it least can afford it.