Mondays Sacrificed in Tax-Conscious
Commissioners’ Budget Cut
Beginning July 17 most of the 16 branches of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, will be closed on Mondays, thanks to a $360,000 budget cut imposed on the library system by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners in June. Part of a $5.4-million revenue rollback in county services, the cut reflects the commission’s desire to pass a “no-property-tax-increase budget,” PLCMC Public Relations Director Rita Rouse told American Libraries.
However, what Rouse characterized as the “vocal response” from patrons of the Coulwood, Mint Hill, and Steele Creek branches may cause those facilities to win a reprieve. The library board was scheduled to consider System Director Robert E. Cannon’s proposal on July 11 to freeze four vacant positions in order to free up enough funds to maintain six-day-a-week service at the three sites.
Library officials have already dipped heavily into staff resources to achieve the $360,000 cut by eliminating 50 temporary, hourly positions at all 16 branches.
Posted July 10, 2000.
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