City’s library services may get axed through year’s end
BRAWLEY — This city recently proposed that its public library, which has been closed since March, should remain closed until the end of the year.
The decision is pending. Whether the library will remain closed until 2021 will be officially decided during the city’s final budget presentation for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
As of now, it is proposed that both the main branch, 400 Main St., and the Del Rio branch, 1501 I St., remain closed until Dec. 31.
This includes having no library services, including contactless pickup.
Reductions in part time and temporary library staff were implemented after the city’s COVID-19 emergency declaration was made in March.
In light of reduced public access to public buildings to reduce potential for COVID-19 spread and anticipated reduced general fund revenues in the first half of the fiscal year, the city identified primary versus secondary services.
Primary services include police, fire, animal control and parks maintenance. Secondary services are recreation and library programming, Brawley City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore explained.
As of now, the libraries branch are marked in the 2020-21 fiscal budget for closure from July 1 to Dec. 31.
The council’s vote on the proposed budget has not been scheduled.
“Should reopening be determined as safe by state and county health officials, the city may reconsider opening,” Moore said. “A budget adjustment by City Council action would be required.”
Currently, a number of program elements are under consideration to be performed by the library director, including creative use of The Hub at Brawley EOC on Facebook to offer story hours, share literacy resources and promote desirable content and activities for library patrons.
During the City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, four public comments regarding the proposed library budget cut were submitted and read aloud.
In her public comment, Brawley Library Board Trustee Crystal Duran shared how she is “deeply concerned” about the proposed budget cut.
“In the previous year, the library circulated over 75,000 items, demonstrating the library’s utility and community need,” she said. “While I understand that the
COVID pandemic has caused unexpected financial disruptions, it does not mean that the city of Brawley cannot provide some library service with minimal staffing and resources.”
Library patron Robert Reyes felt that library services are needed “even more with these coronavirus times.”
“We voted on paying a utility tax to help fund the library, and now it’s closed,” he said. “This is illegal and you either must stay the course with your agreement voted on by the people, or stop collecting the tax. I’m sure you can do some rearranging of finances or renegotiate union agreements to make things work for library curbside services in Brawley.”
Brawley Library Board Trustee Judy Grant said she was “deeply distressed and saddened” about the closure of the library.
“We need to find ways to safely provide access to our library,” Grant said. “Communities have offered curbside pickup during this crisis; some are offering online story times for the youngsters.
We’ve done nothing. Closing it is not an option. There’s a tendency that once something is closed, it’s very difficult to get it back.”
Library Board Trustee Elizabeth Lorenzen also shared her concerns about the library being closed.
“I think the longer the library is closed — I mean completely shut down with no activity, virtual or otherwise, like it is now — it will be forgotten,” she said. “And someday, we, the people, will be saying, ‘Yes, we used to have a really nice public library.’ I don’t want this to happen.”
After reading these comments aloud during the meeting, Mayor Norma Kastner-Jauregui promised the comments have been taken into consideration.
“We will have our final budget presentation soon; perhaps at the next meeting,” she said. “So, at that time, we’ll see if there’s any type of action that we can take on this subject.”