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Akron Struggles to Save Jobs Despite a $5.5-Million Shortfall

After spending three weeks developing emergency plans to save money after last month’s unexpected tax-levy failure, Akron–Summit County Public Library senior staff announced an austere list of measures December 2 to get through next year with a $5.5-million shortfall.

Among the measures were:

Eliminating 22 mostly full-time shelvers who make $7.50 an hour and 60 part-time student assistants who make $6.41 an hour, two entire classes of employees.
Reducing the pay of the remaining full-time staff, including that of Library Director Steve Hawk, by 6.7% and cutting their hours.
Cutting hours at the main and branch libraries by 22%, including eliminating Sunday hours.
Doubling overdue fines from five to 10 cents a day.
Reducing the library acquisitions budget by 10%.
Closing the Akron Centre Plaza branch at the end of December.
Reducing the hours of off-duty police officers who provide security.

Trustees attempted to save the shelvers and students December 4 by agreeing to delay a rent payment of $450,000 to Summit County for the library’s temporary headquarters. The main library is renting a former warehouse until October 2004, when it expects to move into a new facility under construction downtown. Summit County Executive James McCarthy said in the December 5 Akron Beacon-Journal that he was willing to work with the library, but didn’t want to put the county at risk. “It could come down to, should we lay off a deputy sheriff or should they lay off a librarian,” he remarked.

The trustee personnel committee also agreed to look at other insurance providers in order to reduce employee hospitalization costs in 2004.

Posted December 8, 2003.

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