The NOTL Public Library is asking for the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake to cover around 81 per cent of its $81,000 shortage for its budget next year.
Wayne Scott, the library board co-chair, said he would support council raising resident taxes to get these funds.
In a message to The Lake Report, Coun. Erwin Wiens explained that every $161,000 increases the town’s budget by about one per cent.
The increase the library asked for would require around a half-per cent bump to property taxes, he said.
The Lake Report later confirmed that the requested amount of just under $66,000 would require even less of an increase than Wiens estimated.
Scott confirmed in an email to The Lake Report that the request the library demanded is a 7.4 per cent increase in the library grant from this year which would be about a $5.00 increase in library funding for the average taxpayer.
“We are comfortable with 4.5 per cent of the town levy going to the library — which is only about one per cent of the average total tax bill,” Scott said.
“The library board is comfortable asking for an average $5 increase from each household because of the value we believe that the library creates for the NOTL community.”
The evidence for this is clear with a significant increase in resident participation in library programming and a higher increase in new library members than the average population growth, Scott said.
“This is a story of the library responding to community demand, not the library trying to impose its programs and services on the community,” he said.
Wiens posed the question to presenters after a community partners budget presentation from Scott and interim CEO Laura Tait, given during Oct. 22’s committee of the whole meeting.
“I say that, knowing that you might call on me to back up this statement and I will be here in a heartbeat,” Scott said during his presentation.
The library provides essential services to the community, including addressing loneliness, early childhood education and family togetherness, he said.
“I feel the value the library adds to the community,” Scott said.
The presentation also mentioned that according to the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries, 96 per cent of public library funding comes from municipalities. In the Niagara Region, the average municipal funding is 90.9 per cent.
Wiens said Scott’s response was what he was looking for and what he can relay to residents.
The overall increase in expenses for the library in 2025 sits at $81,334, with the library itself covering 19 per cent of this amount and leaving the rest to the municipality.
“This request reflects our commitment to maintaining the new levels of service we’ve achieved this year, while effectively managing costs,” Tait said during the presentation.
In 2025, the library will need $58,500 to cover collection needs, but the library’s development charge reserve is now in a deficit, Tait said.
“We will use funds from our library’s donation reserve to fund the digital collection and funds from the library development reserve to fund part of the print collection,” she said.
The other 50 per cent is being requested from council.
This is a temporary fix, Tait said, with reserve funds expected to be significantly impacted by the end of next year.
Reserve funds are expected to have around $36,000 across them all, Tait said.
“Historically, we have been able to fund 90 per cent of our collection from (development charges),” she said.
“Before 2019, our average revenue from developers was around $95,000 annually, for the past six years we have been revving an average of around $17,000 annually.”
In 2021, Tait added, council had a chance to fix this with an operating budget surplus of $75,000 due to COVID-19 cuts.
“Council chose to retain the surplus rather than transfer it,” she said.
Like council, the library is working to have a more sustainable long-term financing situation, Scott said.
“I’m personally committed to working with our CEO and our director of finance so that next year, at this point, we aren’t back with the same story.”
He is not sure how it will be done, but he is committed because it is essential, he said.
Coun. Erwin Wiens said that the library’s request is on par with the level of service they provide the community.
Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said the library’s presentation aligns well with council’s strategic plan.
An increase in staff wages and transfer of money to library reserves are two driving points for him, Zalepa said.
