Minneapolis Board Mulls Library
Plan Changes, Approves Budget Cuts
Minneapolis Public Library board members heard reports March 26 about the costs of canceling or altering plans for a new $122.5-million downtown library after city leaders questioned the affordability of a new facility in the face of a $25-million budget shortfall over the next 10 years. The board also approved $2 million in cuts for 2003, including the elimination of 33 full-time positions.
Lawyers are investigating whether money approved in 2000 for a new library could instead be used to purchase the building that serves as the library’s temporary home, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported March 27. Doing so could cost up to $150 million, said project manager Rick Johnson, who noted also that the building is not for sale. Extending the lease beyond 2006 is not an option.
Eliminating the fifth floor of the new building could save $2 million, Johnson said, but “there’s not an easy way to downsize the building.”
Director Kit Hadley said she expects the board to vote on the downtown project April 9.
The severe cuts for 2003 came out of a request to reduce the current operating budget 10% to deal with expected reductions in state aid. More than $200,000 comes from the materials budget—which the library says will “leave gaps that will probably never be filled”—and nearly $900,000 will come from the elimination of 33 FTE positions, 16 of which are currently vacant. Other targeted cuts include programs, building maintenance, computer upgrades, and equipment purchases.
Posted March 31, 2003.
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