2014 Budget

2014 Mid-Year Budget Hearing before members of the Erie County Legislature’s Finance and Management Committee

Wednesday, July 16, 2014. Briefing to members of the Erie County Legislature by Library System Director Mary Jean Jakubowski, Library System Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Stone and Vice Chair of the System Board of Trustees, Theodore K. Johnson on the Library’s mid-year budget status. Budget Hearing (pdf)

2014 Adopted Budget Information

On December 19, 2013, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Board of Trustees Adopted the Library’s 2014 budget. In addition to funding the Library’s current service levels, the adopted budget includes an increase of $415,867 (1.88%) in County support as recommended by the County Executive and approved by the Erie County Legislature. This funding will allow the Library to provide an additional 18 open hours of service, fund outreach bookmobile operations, support existing and expanded services at multiple locations and reduce the budgeted use of unassigned fund balance from $852,555 in the 2014 proposed budget to $702,555. As this increase solely reflects growth in the tax base, the County property tax rate for Library purposes (average full market value property tax rate) would remain unchanged at $0.47 per $1,000.

The budget is balanced, albeit at reduced service levels compared to 2008, with the funding gap vs. 2008 narrowing to $3.3 million.

The adopted budget funding for the Library is:

$	22, 588,324	– County Property Tax for Library Purposes (the Library Tax)
$	1,996,492	– New York State Aid
$	702,555	– Use of Fund Balance
$	967,178	– All other revenue (including net library fines and fees)
$	26,254,549	–2014 Operating Budget Including Restorations
$	613,444	– Library Grants (NY State funding)
$	26,867,993	– 2014 Operating and Grants Budget Including Restorations

For more information, please see:

Library 2014 Adopted Budget, Charts and Schedules (pdf)

Library 2014 Pocket Budget Guide – see the budget breakdown and the benefits of a Library card (pdf)

Library Return on Investment – see the value of library services in Erie County, based on 2013 figures (pdf)

Erie County Library Funding History (pdf)

2014 Proposed Budget

On Tuesday October 15, 2013 Erie County released its proposed 2014 Operating, Capital and Grants budgets, providing additional operating and capital support for the Library.

Jack Connors, chairman, Board of Trustees, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library and Library System Director Mary Jean Jakubowski expressed their appreciation, stating: On behalf of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System we want to thank Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz for recommending an increase of $415,867* to libraries in his 2014 proposed budget through funds generated by growth in the equalized full value property tax base. We are pleased the Poloncarz plan includes funding for reestablishing a modern-day bookmobile equipped with wireless technology to serve those areas of Erie County without a library, as well as provide additional outreach programs.

We sincerely hope that the full Legislature will approve the County Executive’s proposal and appreciate their past support as we work to stabilize Library funding.

Libraries offer so much to this community. Last month 3030 residents signed up for free library cards. Since the beginning of the year, Erie County’s 37 public libraries have:

Circulated more than 6 million materials including books, eBooks, audio and visual materials
Logged more than 658,500 computer sessions
Reached more than 115,000 program attendees

We fully expect those numbers to continue to grow.

*Library property tax (Average Full Market Value Property Tax Rate) would remain unchanged at $0.47 per $1000.