Flagler County officials are promising that staffing will be changed next spring if usage data indicates a need, as Palm Coast officials fear that a planned 23 percent reduction in library hours and a significant staffing cut at the Palm Coast branch will negatively impact patrons and programming once the Bunnell branch opens in December.
The Palm Coast branch would operate for 40 hours instead of 52 hours, according to a budget that County Administrator Heidi Petito presented to the County Commission in July. On Sunday and Monday, it would be closed. However, when the hours of the two locations are combined, the Nexus Center in Bunnell will open, increasing the entire library hours and providing seven-day library service. (See: Palm Coast Library Will Reduce Staff and Cut Hours by 23%; Resources Will Be Moved to the New Nexus Center in Bunnell.)
Ty Miller, a member of the Palm Coast City Council, wants to investigate the potential of using city funds to make up the county’s losses to the Palm Coast branch library in the upcoming fiscal year. According to the figures that Petito provided to Interim City Manager Lauren Johnston, those cults total between $180,000 and $190,000. A recurring grant that is included into the county budget does not appeal to Miller.
Miller also proposed dividing the impact’s costs between the city and the county. “I’m not sure if there’s any flexibility to find some of that money on both ends, or if it looks like splitting the difference there to get through this year,” Miller said.
Council member Theresa Pontieri stated, “I support looking at it conceptually.” However, I also have to admit that we have no control over a lot of things, including the library, which is primarily funded by county taxes. We have no control over the library’s operations or management. Therefore, I would like to look more closely. Given other urgent requirements, Pontieri criticized the $16 million spent to construct the second library. Only recently did two recently elected county commissioners ruin the project, which had been hailed as a success for ten and a half years.
When Commission Chair Andy Dance was hesitant to examine the county budget, Miller’s offer was debated at last week’s council meeting and at a joint meeting the next day between the two administrations.
“I was also worried about cutting those hours at first,” Dance said. We might present some data to the city council in March to demonstrate how the facilities are being used and how they have changed.
Presumably, the information will demonstrate the number of patrons at each branch and how the Palm Coast branch’s statistics vary from before the Nexus Center opened. Beyond that, however, county and city officials did not establish any restrictions. Such raw data might not be a good indicator of the impact unless it also contains information on the present attendance of all clubs, programs, and meetings in comparison to future attendance, as well as information on which programs may have been moved, curtailed, or deleted.
People use the library for more than just using the computers, reading magazines, or checking out books. The quantity of persons who enter is not the only factor. Adult programs range from tech support to resume writing workshops, online safety lessons, and creative writing seminars. There are twelve organizations and activities for tweens and teens, as well as six children’s programs. Many associations and organizations use the conference room.
It’s crowded. It’s in use. According to Miller, people utilize it all day, every day. That portion of the county will benefit greatly from the Nexus Center in Bunnell, but some of the hours that the north end of town has access to our library will be restricted.
According to Petito, there isn’t much of a service issue at the Palm Coast location. According to County Administrator Heidi Petito, there will likely be a slight reduction in the programs. After Mayor Mike Norris proposed that volunteers may cover the gaps, she stated that those couldn’t be run by volunteers. According to Petito, the county has no intention of hurting youth and children’s programming. According to her, it might take place somewhere else and change slightly from the delivery method used now.
Dance’s recommendation of a March report appeared to satisfy Miller and the other council members, putting an end to any future speculation that Palm Coast would make up the $180,000 to $190,000 shortfall. This implies that the anticipated reductions in programming, staffing, and schedule will continue in December.
Miller stated, “I still don’t want to lose the service level, but if we are dedicated to making sure that we reevaluate those numbers after it opens, maybe readjust that staffing or those hours for the library, then I think I’m okay with that.”
