Library under budget ax

Spokane city libraries are facing a $1 million budget cut for 2005, a cut that could result in shorter hours, fewer librarians and the closing of a branch.

The exact mix of cuts and service reductions will be left to the Library Board of Trustees, which will get its first look at its budget options during a public meeting at 4:30 p.m. today on the first floor of the downtown library.

“I wish we didn’t have to make the decisions,” said Ned Barnes, a member of the board.

Barnes said the board will look initially at consolidating parts of its operations, but that “everything is on the table, I assume.”

Word of the library cuts was made public on Tuesday as Mayor Jim West and his staff prepared for a wide range of reductions in tax-funded city services. West said 100 jobs could be lost, many in the police and fire departments, although other reports place the number higher.

City officials said between $10 million and $12 million must be cut from operations to meet a revenue forecast of $116 million for 2005. The city had budgeted $122 million in general fund expenses for 2004, relying on a large cash carryover to close the revenue-expense gap a year ago. That extra money has now been spent.

Library officials said they wanted to notify employees who might be affected by the cuts before making the details of any recommended reductions public.

Pat Partovi, neighborhood services manager for Spokane libraries, said top city officials gave the libraries their $1 million budget cut target in recent days. The library has a budget this year of about $8 million.

Library Director Jan Sanders was out of town on Tuesday and unavailable for comment.

The libraries include the main downtown branch, plus the East Side, Hillyard, Indian Trail, Shadle and South Hill branches. All six libraries were built through a voter-approved bond issue in 1990. The libraries also operate outreach programs for senior citizens and youths.

Barnes said the libraries are one of the great free public services in the community, and he criticized a leading anti-tax figure for initiatives limiting city tax collections. “Who’s Eyman hurting?” Barnes said of initiative sponsor Tim Eyman. “He’s hurting everyone.”

One of Eyman’s initiatives, approved by voters in 2001, limits year-to-year increases in regular property tax collections to 1 percent without voter approval. The city collects about $28 million a year through the regular property tax levy, but that amount does not include voter-approved bond issues.

West on Tuesday said the city has a one-time option of raising the property tax levy by 5 percent to make up for years when the levy was not increased, but the increase would only raise about $1.5 million.

City budget problems have been mounting for several years, West said, and stem partly from unresolved labor contracts as well as rising health insurance costs.

On the revenue side, city sales and utility tax receipts are growing at a lackluster rate.

West said he and his administration are exploring the possibility of reducing jail costs by sending inmates with longer sentences to private facilities or to public facilities in other jurisdictions. The county operates the jail in Spokane, and has forecast that the city’s share of costs will increase by $1 million in 2005.

The Fire Department is facing a $4.3 million cut, which could involve the loss of 65 to 70 positions. West said fire union leaders would prefer closing fire stations rather than reducing staffing on various fire trucks. West said he hasn’t decided which approach to recommend to the City Council. He said the Indian Trail station has the lowest number of fire and emergency medical calls.

In the Police Department, West said the city could eliminate Crime Check services for non-emergency reports during early morning hours from approximately midnight to 8 a.m. West said he is seeking a way to keep neighborhood resource officers in their positions. Two-dozen layoffs plus reassignments are expected in the Police Department.

The mayor is scheduled to submit his budget to the council by Nov. 1, and the council will take public testimony each Monday through the rest of November.

West said settlement of the River Park Square parking garage dispute could save nearly $900,000 a year. The protracted case involving losses at the public-private garage is scheduled for trial in January, and outside lawyer fees are estimated to cost $600,000 if the case goes to trial.

“It just keeps taking away money from programs we need to fund,” the mayor said of the garage.

Two internal departments with 10 employees are being eliminated. They are purchasing and in-house printing and copying, West said.

West said cuts are being spread across various services, including police and fire, in order to maintain a broad range of city programs, including libraries, parks, good streets, arts and recreation. “You’ve got to have a heart and soul,” he said of non-emergency city services.