PORT ANGELES — Employees at public libraries in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Clallam Bay will get 3 percent pay raises in 2014, and 10 percent more funds than this year will be allocated to books, DVDs, e-books and other library materials next year.
The $3.8 million 2014 budget for the North Olympic Library System, which was approved unanimously Monday, is about $115,847 less than the system’s 2013 budget of about $3.9 million, Director Paula Barnes said Friday.
It pays for increases primarily through two avenues, Barnes said.
The 2014 budget does not have to cover Forks Library renovation costs, as the 2013 budget did, since the work is expected to be finished by the end of this year, she said.
Reserve fund
The budget also includes about $80,000 transferred to the operating budget from the system’s reserve fund.
This is the third straight year of budget reductions in the face of declining property tax revenue, Barnes said.
Property tax revenue for the library system, collected at 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, is expected to be $3.5 million for 2014, down about 1 percent from this year’s amount of roughly $3.6 million.
The library system staff cost-of-living pay increase was put in place to keep pay on pace with that of other public-sector employees throughout the North Olympic Peninsula, Barnes said.
“And we know that [the library system] is behind the curve a bit,” she said.
Library staffers did not get a pay increase last year, Barnes said, and averaged slightly less than a 1 percent increase annually between 2008 and 2013.
The budget for library materials is $440,575 for 2014.
Digital books
Barnes said a large chunk of the materials budget increase is expected to pay for more e-books — digital versions of books that can be read on tablet computers.
The demand for e-books has increased, she said.
“We want to try to be well-positioned to meet those needs,” she said.
The library board has directed staff to review branch operating hours and staffing levels in 2014 to look for potential savings in the face of declining revenues, Barnes said.
“[The board] would rather plan ahead and as positions become vacant not fill them,” Barnes said.
“The board would much rather do that than have to consider layoffs.”
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
