Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Library board adopts $12.9 million 2023 budget
FAYETTEVILLE — The library’s Board of Trustees approved next year’s budget with an eye toward honing its expanded operation and attracting more first- time visitors.
The board voted 7-0 Monday to approve a $12.9 million budget for next year.
The largest expenditure in next year’s budget is for operations at nearly $9.4 million, with personnel accounting for about $5.4 million. The library also will pay about $2.4 million toward paying off construction bonds used to build its expansion. Another $442,500 will come out of reserve money to balance the budget. Additionally, food services will cost $332,319, and event expenditures will be $315,808.
Also included in next year’s budget is more than $1.2 million for a workforce development program from the city’s share of American Rescue Plan money. The City Council on Dec. 6 approved dispersing the money to the library. The library board on Monday added the amount to the approved budget for next year.
The budget for this year is about $9.4 million in revenue and $9.3 million in expenses.
Most of the library’s revenue comes from property taxes, with $5.2 million projected next year. Nearly $3.3 million will come from the city, with $610,100 generated from charges for services and $156,150 from state and federal grants.
Hiring new personnel, adding the workforce development program and inflationary costs such as a rise in utility expenses contributed to the higher budget for next year, said Tamika Ball, the library’s director of finance and accounting.
The library will replace the 20-year- old air- conditioning unit for the original portion of the library building using $750,000 from the city.
Executive Director David Johnson said the aged unit is likely responsible for the library’s overall utility costs going up. The unit is separate from the energy efficient system controlling the expansion’s air-conditioning.
This year marked the first year the library was able to operate outside the confines of a pandemic, Johnson said. The library will expand its programs, circulation, events and marketing with the intention of bringing in more firsttime visitors, he said.
“The momentum’s building to where we’re going to be at some point saying, ‘You know what? They’re loving
this library to death again,’” Johnson said.
The expanded library opened in January 2021, made possible by a property tax increase voters approved in 2016.
Voters approved a 2.7-mill increase in property taxes in 2016, bringing the library’s total property tax levy to 3.7 mills. Of the 2.7-mill increase, 1.2 mills will sunset within 30 years after paying about $26.9 million of the nearly $50 million cost of the expansion’s construction.
The other 1.5 mills will stay to help cover operating costs of the expanded building. The library’s nonprofit foundation has been working to raise money to cover the remaining $23 million.
The library has had more than 424,000 visits so far this year with more than 90,000 cardholders, according to an impact statement from the budget.
The $ 1.2 million the library will receive from the city’s share of American Rescue Plan money will go toward a job skill training program in the accommodation and food services, construction and information technology fields. Money for the program will primarily be used for staffing for one year and equipment costs at the library’s simulation lab, teaching kitchen and coding academy.
Board member Rob Qualls said the program is an example of the kind of dream library leadership had when envisioning the expansion.
“Cool is one thing, but changing lives and giving people opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise is really what the library is all about,” he said. “I think we’re taking it to a level you don’t see in many other communities.”