Library Budget Criticized

Dissatisfaction with the numbers caused conflict Monday in a normally routine matter - approving the library budget for advertising purposes.

"I'm not satisfied with this budget," said Warsaw Community Public Library board member Don Sweatland.

Neither were Candy Wolkins or Joy Fair, who, with Sweatland, voted against Mark Morrison's first motion to approve the 1997 budget for advertising.

Because of the building project, the overall budget for 1997 is $2.25 million, a 68 percent increase. The operating fund will be advertised at $1.37 million, a 10 percent change in the tax levy and a 5 percent increase from 1996.

The estimated tax rate for the operating fund will be 27.26 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, down from last year's advertised rate of 29.17. The state board of tax commissioners approved the rate of 23.54.

The advertised rate for the bond for the building project is 14.48 per $100 of assessed valuation, bringing the total proposed tax levy for 1997 to 41.74.

The board was not upset with the operating fund's bottom line as much as the way the money was divided within the budget. Of particular contention were employee salaries.

Because of recent legislation, the library must give raises to minimum wage employees. The minimum wage is increasing 90 cents, from $4.25 an hour to $5.15. But eligible employees were given the full 90 cents even though they were making 25 cents above minimum wage before the legislation passed.

The increased wage is creating a ripple effect throughout the library salary structure. Business manager Anita Johnson said if you give 90 cents to a page, who hasn't graduated from high school, that puts him at nearly the same level as a clerk, who has graduated from high school. To give a clerk a raise puts him at the next level, and so on.

"The overall budget is too much," said Sweatland. "The tax rate for the building program has come down ... (but) it looks like we're giving some of that away in salaries.

"I don't have any employees getting 12 percent raises," he said.

Lee, who voted with Morrison to accept the budget, reminded the board that they're voting on 5 percent of the overall budget, not parts of the budget. "I don't agree with where they put it ... but we have to decide what to ask for," she said.

The '96 budget was reduced by about $100,000 that was not used, so it's available for the '97 budget. If left in the '96 budget, the '97 levy would be that much higher, Johnson said.

"Why do you have to put (the extra money) somewhere, why don't you just take it out if you don't need it?" Wolkins asked.

"You don't know what the tax board is going to give you - you have to ask for 5 percent to get 2 percent," Lee said. "We've got to play the game the government plays."

With the building project on the horizon, the library is facing many unknowns. "Things change daily," said library director Ann Zydek.

"But we still didn't have to spend $100,000," Wolkins said.

"But we didn't know until today where it was," Johnson said.

The difficulty, Johnson said, is "I've got to plan for '97; it's hard to do in May or June of '96. ... We put these items in to be safe. If we don't have it, we can't do it."

Johnson said the board must either pass this budget or go with the '96 budget.

"What we're asking," said Morrison, is "permission to spend, if need be, no more than this amount of money."

By not approving the budget, he said, they would be tying their hands in several ways. "We can sit here and quibble all night about where the money should be allocated, but 5 percent seems well in line..." he said.

Sweatland noted that last year the board got approval for a 4.9 percent increase but spent only 3.7 percent. "That speaks well of Anita and Ann," he said. "The board should be admonished for not doing their committee work ... we've concentrated more on the new building than on internal affairs."

Lee said the board spent a lot more time last year in preliminary budget work. Johnson supplied board members with copies of her budget prior to Monday's meeting, and said she had no concerns over the budget because there was no response.

Because the budget has to be advertised today, Johnson pressed the board for a decision. Sweatland said he would change his vote reluctantly, but only on the bottom line.

In a second motion, Morrison, Lee and Sweatland voted to accept the budget and Fair abstained. Wolkins was not present for the second vote because she had to go to another meeting.

The public hearing on the budget is set for Aug. 26.