In an effort to reduce the city’s $9.5 million budget deficit, Evanston City Council is considering shutting down two branches of the public library.
“This is all because of reduced revenues,” said City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, whose late December budget draft proposed the cut. “We have revenues decreasing, so, like any business, when your revenues go down, you have to cut expenditures.”
Closing the North Branch, 2026 Central St., and South Branch, 949 Chicago Ave., could save the city a combined $292,100 in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The proposed cuts include laying off 36 city employees, most of whom are librarians.
Bobkiewicz said the city is lucky to have a “robust library system.” But because of the prominent, efficient nature of the main library downtown, 1703 Orrington Ave., sustaining the branch libraries is not a necessity.
The council took a different approach this year to crafting the budget, using online polling and community budget workshops, Ald. Jane Grover (7th) said. Through the polling and workshops, community members showed their support for shutting the branch libraries down, she said.
“Among the top 10 things that the community budget participants identified to eliminate was the funding to the two branch libraries,” Grover said. “Wally’s proposed budget incorporates a lot of the ideas that came out of those workshops.”
After four workshops, Bobkiewicz was able to obtain a firmer grasp of the community’s needs, and the online poll solidified that outlook, Grover said.
“The city manager’s office put a poll online asking participants for a just way to generate revenue and cut costs,” she said. “About 1,000 people responded to that poll. To anybody that’s been paying attention, this shouldn’t be a surprise.”
Still, many Evanston residents disagree with the council’s outlook regarding their new polling method.
Resident Christopher Skey said he has heard the council talk each year about cutting off funding to the branch libraries. He was upset this year they finally decided to act, he said.
“At first I thought (the discussion) was part of the same old process, but I was made aware that it seemed to be more serious this year,” Skey said. “It seemed to me like (the community input) was a good idea, but I think that it resulted in some recommendations that did not accurately express the sentiments of the entire community.”
Both Grover and Bobkiewicz said they have been inundated with letters from concerned members of the community who do not want to see the branch libraries shut down.Grover said she recognizes the important position the branch libraries hold in the Evanston community.
“Seventy-five thousand people found their way to the North Branch library in 2009,” she said. “That’s a lot of foot traffic on Central Street, and my primary concern is not the hardship for the patrons of the branch libraries, but the implications of it’s closing for the local businesses.
Grover said she would ideally like to see the libraries maintained with sustainable funding.”It’s a matter of diversifying the funding,” she said. “Some of the things we’re talking about are public-private partnerships and local fundraising to keep the libraries afloat. If it looks like only local neighborhoods use the branches, we could ask them if they’re willing to pay extra in taxes to support them.”
Skey said he plans on doing his part to keep the libraries in service.
“I anticipate that (my neighbors) will begin a letter-writing campaign and probably a sign campaign,” he said. “There will be some meetings with the city officials to express our support-speaking at the city council meetings, respectfully, for example, and trying to make our position known.”
Despite the controversy, Bobkiewicz said shutting down the branches may be a necessary move for Evanston.
“Libraries do more than provide books, they provide information,” he said. “We’re just struggling with how best to allocate our resources. We’re looking to cut almost 10 percent, and on an operating budget, difficult decisions have to be made.”[email protected]
