Fighting to keep library books: State will take services, books if county doesn’t add $6,000 to budget in 14 days
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That was the verdict handed down Tuesday by Tennessee Secretary of State Riley C. Darnell. In a letter written to County Executive Kenneth Rogers, Darnell said Warren County has until Sept. 26 to restore the $6,000.
Due to an agreement virtually all public libraries in Tennessee have with the state, library funding can never be reduced. This requirement, called Maintenance of Effort, has been in place for 23 years and has yet to be broken.
This year, libraries in White House, Savannah and most notably Dickson, have been in the news for cutting their library budgets, and thus not meeting the Maintenance of Effort agreement. The situation in Dickson is currently tied up in the court system, but the other two libraries have had their money restored.
“We’re hopeful Warren County restores the funds and we don’t have to withdraw our books and services,” said State Librarian Edwin Gleaves. “We haven’t had to make this move before and we don’t want to do it now.”
Last year, the county earmarked $116,000 for Magness Library. Due to state budget cuts, and the desire not to raise taxes on the local level, county commissioners voted to cut Magness Library funding to $110,000 this year. The library was one of many charitable organizations which received less money than in the past.
The state, however, says cutting library funding will not be tolerated – even in these lean economic times.
“The Maintenance of Effort agreement was started because local libraries are so horribly funded in this state,” said Jane Pinkston, assistant state librarian. “It’s intended to make sure libraries are funded through good times and bad times. We’re very serious about this.”
Pinkston said Tennessee ranks 47th out of the 50 states when it comes to library funding. She said the national average is for states to spend $23 per person on library funding. In Tennessee, the state spends $13 per person each year.
Magness Library board chairperson Pat Bigbee estimates the library receives around $150,000 worth of books and services from the state. She says it doesn’t make sense to lose all that for $6,000.
“This isn’t about the $6,000 that was cut,” said Bigbee. “We can get by without that money. But by breaking the Maintenance of Effort agreement, commissioners may not have realized we lose everything else.
“We’re not trying to bad mouth the county. We are very appreciative of the funding we receive. I think more than anything, commissioners didn’t know what cutting that $6,000 means.”
Kenneth Rogers said the topic of Magness Library funding has not been added to docket for Monday’s monthly meeting of the county commission, but he figured it would be an item of discussion considering the Sept. 26 deadline.
“I would hope, after seeing what it would do to the library, that the county court would reconsider and maybe fund the $6,000,” said Rogers, who indicated he doesn’t understand why the state can cut its funding to counties and still require the counties to continue their same level of funding to non-profit agencies.
Monday’s county commission meeting should be full of lively discussion. In addition to Magness Library funding, commissioners will also be considering $14 million worth of improvements to Warren County schools.