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Pickerington library to seek levy after state cuts funding
(by Rachel Scofield, Staff Writer - May 27, 2009)
The Pickerington Library will ask voters for a levy this November after the state cut funding.
At its June 8 meeting, the library board of trustees will most likely opt for a 0.75-mil levy that would cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $23 per year and would raise $830,000, said Dorothy Howdyshell, the library’s financial officer.
State funding continues to decrease, she said. In May, the library received $35,000 less than it did in May 2008 and April was $16,000 less than last year.
According to Library Director Suellen Goldsberry, the forecast for the remainder of the year is bleak. What was forecasted to be a 6 percent shortfall for public libraries, in the last few weeks, became a 10-15 percent shortfall forecast.
The board dismissed two part-time employees and will not replace a third who retires in June. The board also reduced the hours of operation, said Colleen Pospishil, the library’s community services coordinator.
If voters approve the levy, it would allow the board “to reinstate some if not all of the hours and staffing,” Howdyshell said. “It will get us a long way from where we are now.”
Story time for preschoolers will continue and this summer, the library will to offer programs for all ages.
For more information on library events, residents of the Pickerington local school district may visit www.pickeringtonlibrary.org.
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