Jacksonville Public Library advocates for years have looked for ways to increase the organization’s bottom line.
Talks with mayors, pleas with City Council members and a ballot initiative that would have created a library taxing district all failed.
There might be a boost around the corner, though. Maybe as much as $600,000.
Legislation to be introduced at tonight’s council meeting would create a Library Fines Revenue Fund that would allow the system to keep money it collects on overdue items. The fund would be dedicated for capital projects or maintenance, but not operations.
Currently, all collections go back to the city into the general fund — something many didn’t realize.
“The community as a whole thought fines and fees went toward the library,” said Erin Vance Skinner, the library’s board chair.
A plan initiated several years ago resulted in the recommendation of a “Library for the Future” fund that accrued fines and fees for capital plans.
Last year, during the Task Force of Consolidation meetings, the idea again was pitched. The current legislation is a result of the task force.
The past five years have seen a decline in all collected fines and fees, mainly due to electronic media becoming more available.
In 2010, $1.6 million was collected, trending down to $931,000 last year. That includes collections on overdue items, printing fees when coming from a library computer, non-resident library card fees and lost materials replacements.
A breakout of how much has been collected just from overdue materials wasn’t available, but Skinner said it should result in about $600,000.
Yet, as the source continues to trend downward, other sources will need to be found.
She suggests the fund could be used for repurposing portions of libraries to better serve the community. For example, she said that could mean creating a teen or children’s center in a library that’s determined to have such a need.
The fund won’t be used for maintenance or supplement operational dollars — a step done on purpose.
If the money was used for operational dollars, the fear is future mayors and councils could simply rely on the account as a funding source to replace parts of annual budget. With a separate account dedicated solely to capital functions, that’s less likely, she said.
That’s still a concern for council member John Crescimbeni, an ardent library supporter. He called the trust fund a “great idea,” saying he never understood why the organization couldn’t keep the fines it collected. But, the opportunity for less annual funding is always a danger.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Crescimbeni said.
Council member Bill Gulliford, one of the bill’s sponsors, said he was pitched on the idea by library leadership and agreed it was a good idea.
But keeping it capital-related is important.
“If you get hooked on that money being operational, you’re going to get yourself in trouble,” Gulliford said. “It makes it too easy for them or other councils to cut them even more.”
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