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2011 Budget Statement from IMCPL Board President

10/22/2010

In early 2010, the IMCPL Board was faced with the prospect that due to a significant drop in tax receipts, coupled with the fact that our expenses continue to increase, we would be faced with approximately a $3 million dollar shortfall. The board, the executive management team and the staff quickly responded by assembling a team tasked with looking at the entire operations of the library to find efficiencies that would assist in closing this significant shortfall.

Soon thereafter, the Mayor dispatched the High Performance Government Team to assist the library with reviewing all our operations to ensure no stone was left unturned. As a result, we adopted the recommendation of the HPGT and made a system wide change to our hours which will result in approximately $1.5 million in savings.

Although the HPGT task was completed, there was still work to be done. The Mayor continued to challenge his leadership team and the city council to continue to look for other options that would assist the library to provide additional support so that we as a board could work on finding long term solutions to our projected budget shortfall.

As a result, a bi-partisan team began to look for additional solutions to provide that short term aid, and this past Tuesday a resolution was offered up and unanimously approved by the Municipal Corporations Committee.

The library and the board are especially grateful and thankful to Mayor Ballard, the city Controller David Reynolds, Councilor Vaughn, Councilor Sanders, Kristen Tusing as a key member of the High Performance Government Team, and Councilor Nytes for honoring their commitment to continue to work along side of us in order to find additional short term solutions to help us provide the much needed services the patrons of our library need.

However, please keep in mind this action is short term and 2011 presents us yet again with some of the same challenges we faced in 2010.

In closing, we appreciate the patience and understanding of our patrons and that of our staff for continuing to provide the best possible service to the residents of Marion County.

Tom Shevlot
IMCPL Board President

Revised 2011 Proposed Budget

Next Steps

• October 25 – Approval of 2011 Budget by City-County Council

Sustainable Library Project Update

8/31/2010

What's happening now?

• Library Board Approval of the 2011 Budget Estimates

Next Steps

• September 27 – Public Hearing on 2011 Budget before the Municipal Corporations Committee
• October 19 – Approval of 2011 Budget by Municipal Corporations Committee
• October 25 – Approval of 2011 Budget by City-County Council

Statement from Library Board President Thomas Shevlot

7/16/2010

As many of you know, in April of this year, the Sustainable Library Committee, comprised of employees from all facets of the system including one of our Board members, submitted to the Board an analysis of our operations in response to our forecast that the library system will be in the red in 2011 and beyond. In this report, projections of falling tax receipts, coupled with the cost to maintain and operate all branches, reflected the IMPCL operating at a deficit averaging of almost $2 million a year over the next few years if we did not act.

We’ve all worked hard over the last six months to determine ways to live within our means—means determined by property tax caps. The discussion has been robust and inclusive. We have had a number of public meetings; staff and board members have met with a number of community neighborhood associations, business leaders, landlords of our branches and the High Performance Government team, which was offered up to us from Mayor Ballard and the Municipal Corporations Committee of the City-County Council.

Our budget is due to the City County Council in early September, and that budget will be reflect the actions deemed necessary to allow us to operate in 2011 with the ultimate goal of not having to close any branches in 2011. This goal—keeping all branches open—was a top priority outlined by Mayor Ballard and the community.

Savings
Appointed Salaries
Savings from no merit increase for employees at top of pay grade (compared with 2010)	$(72,923)
Elimination of 10 full time positions and 11 part-time positions due to reduction in hours	$(439,056)
Closed on Sundays during the summer (Memorial Day - Labor Day)	$(16,000)
There will be additional savings from administration changes - TBD by August
Hourly Salaries
Savings from reduced hours of operation - 17% reduction compared with 2010	$(311,000)
FICA
Reduction based on reduced payroll	$(64,182)
PERF
Employees pay their share of 3%	$(440,450)
Net between .25% increase in employer's share and reduction in payroll	$(44,517)
Total Savings	$(484,967)
Postage
Elimination of some paper notices to patrons	$(80,000)
Freight & Express
Reduction based on current spending pattern	$(25,000)
Data Communications
Reduction based on current spending pattern	$(5,000)
Outside Printing
Elimination of Reading In Indianapolis and spending pattern	$(30,000)
Computer Repair & Maintenance
Reduction due to changes in maintenance agreements	$(25,000)
Real Estate
Rent reductions offered by current landlordss	$(10,700)
Books & Materials
20% reduction	$(1,000,000)
Total Reductions under consideration	$(2,563,828)

In addition, we are working on a re-structuring plan and other options that will provide additional savings.

Reducing expenses alone would not afford us the breathing room we needed in 2011. To complement our expense reduction strategy, the sustainable team also looked for ways internally to increase revenue. This small window of time will allow the staff and board more time to finalize a plan of long term sustainability for all branches.

One of the mechanisms we are implementing to increase revenue is by increasing some user fees, which will deliver a projected revenue of $59,000 . These fees include an increase in failure to pick up holds and to replace a borrower’s card.

This Board and the staff of the Library are united in our goal to building a sustainable Library well in to the 21st century. We all understand our service model will have to change in order to meet the current and future demands of our patrons while balancing the financial implications brought upon by a weak economy, falling tax receipts and rising operating expenses for all branches.

We are in the final stages of completing our budget proposal for 2011 and, as always, the process is fully transparent and allows for public dialog along the way. The Board Finance Committee will approve the budget proposal and forward to the full Board for their approval. The Board hearing on the budget will be at our regular Board meeting, Thursday, August 19th at Central Library. The Board will meet to approve the budget on August 30th. We submit the budget to the City-County Council in September. It is reviewed by the Municipal Corporations Committee at a public hearing on September 27th. They review it and approve it at their meeting on October 19th. It then goes to the full council for their adoption on October 25th. We file it with the City Controller on Oct. 26th and then it goes to the State for final approval.

In closing, on behalf of the entire Board, we would like to thank all those who shared our common interest and passion for the Library’s mission to improve the lives of all citizens of Marion County in pursuit of literacy and lifelong learning, and our focus on building a sustainable Library well in to the 21st century to meet the objectives of our community. Thanks to Mayor Ballard and the High Performance Government team, to those on the City Council, to our state representatives and senators, to those neighborhood groups and concerned residents who came out to share their thoughts on our challenges, and perhaps most importantly, to the employees of the IMCPL who work tirelessly every day to serve our patrons.

But, our work here is not nearly done. We may have a bit more time to work on the sustainability of IMCPL, but it is a fluid process. We anticipate many changes will occur between now and next August when our 2012 budget is due, and we will work diligently to create a budget for 2012 that best meets the community’s needs.

We ask everyone to continue to keep their ideas and suggestions coming. It is very helpful for us to hear from our patrons and the greater community as we navigate these difficult decisions, and imperative that we make changes to our operations for the long term so everyone on this Board, and most importantly, the employees of the Library can feel assured that a sustainable library plan is in place that improves the lives of all citizens of Marion County in pursuit of literacy and lifelong learning.

Next Steps

August 9 – 2011 Budget approval by Library Board Finance Committee
August 19 – Public Hearing on 2011 Budget at Library Board meeting
August 30 – Approval of 2011 Budget by Library Board
September 27 – Public Hearing on 2011 Budget before the Municipal Corporations Committee
October 19 – Approval of 2011 Budget by Municipal Corporations Committee
October 25 – Approval of 2011 Budget by City-County Council

How Libraries Stack Up

08/13/2010

OCLC, the major library cooperative in the United States, recently released a report entitled “How libraries stack up: 2010.” It’s a quick look at how much communities in the US use their public libraries. If you’re interested, you can grab the two page report from the OCLC website.

http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/214109usf_how_libraries_stack_up.pdf

Sustainable Library Project Update

07/12/2010

What's happening now?

• July Library Board Meeting - July 15, 6:30 p.m., Central Library
• One Year Lease Extension has been negotiated for Glendale Branch Library
• Request for Changes in User Fees to be approved by Board at July meeting
• Authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to Negotiate Lease Extension for Brightwood Branch Library to be approved at July meeting

Next Steps

• Negotiation of one year lease extension for Brightwood Branch Library
• Continued development of Sustainable Library Plan
• Development of 2011 Operating Budget
• Budget review by Board and public - August
• August Library Board Meeting – August 19, 6:30 p.m., Central Library

July 15 Library Board Meeting

07/09/2010

The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Board of Trustees will meet in regular session on Thursday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Central Library in the Clowes Auditorium, 40 E. St. Clair Street.

Parking for this meeting is available in the Central Library parking garage (standard garage parking rates will apply) by entering from N. Pennsylvania Street. Street side parking is also possible on a space available basis. Those with mobility concerns may choose to enter the Clowes Auditorium from the Library's 9th Street entrance (on the north side). Library staff will be on hand to assist with seating in the Auditorium which has a seating capacity of 320. Additional seating with access to the proceedings will be provided, if necessary, in the Riley Meeting Room.

IMCPL faces severe revenue reductions of over $4 million per year from a combination of property tax caps and the total tax levy. While the Library has already implemented a number of cost-cutting strategies, it is necessary to consider additional measures to assure its long-term viability.

High Performance Government Team Report Presented to the Library Board

6/10/2010

The High Performance Government Team, established by ordinance and consisting of volunteers from leading businesses and organizations, was assigned to conduct a full fiscal and operational review of the Library's operations, with the immediate focus on its 2011 budget. Its report was presented to the Library Board on June 10, 2010.

View the Report

Sustainable Library Project Update

06/03/2010