No easy solution: Pawlenty budget could bring park, library closings

Reacting to a state deficit in excess of $4 billion, the Pawlenty administration has proposed massive spending cuts in the next biennium budget. One of the most significant victims of his spending cuts will be Minnesota’s Local Government Aid (LGA) program, by which the state helps fund municipal programs in cities around the state. In Minneapolis, the reduction in LGA funding has put the squeeze on both the city’s park and library systems. The result could include the temporary closure of some parks, and the temporary or even permanent closure of several libraries.

The most prominent issue resulting from the shortfall is the possibility, being explored by the Minneapolis Library Board, that the city could terminate work on a new downtown library entirely. While Local Government Aid was never supposed to fund the new building’s construction, the board is exploring the possibility of ending the project because of tradeoffs between the library system’s operating budget (the money it uses every year to pay employees, maintain the collections, and perform maintenance on all library locations), and its capital budget (that is, the money the city would raise by selling municipal bonds to build a new library). There has been some speculation that the Library system could save money on operating costs in the future by purchasing the temporary home of the downtown library collection, the former federal reserve building, and renovating it.

However, the initial cost of buying and renovating the temporary location would be even greater than the current plan for a new building—$150 million, as opposed to the $122.5 million for the approved project. What’s more, the temporary site isn’t currently for sale. Delaying the project wouldn’t work very well either, as the library system can only keep the central library collection at its temporary home through 2006, and then only at great cost.

Right now the library board seems to be leaning towards proceeding with the central library construction project. It will make its final decision on April 14. But the decision to go ahead with the project could put an even greater squeeze on branch libraries throughout the city. The problem stems from a thoroughgoing shortfall in the board’s operating budget: one that existed before Pawlenty’s cutbacks in LGA monies, but has since been exacerbated. All told, the library system is facing a $53 million shortfall in its operating budget by the year 2010. The question facing the Library Board is, if a grand new central library is built, where will the money come from to provide basic library services at branch locations?

The result has been a proposal, endorsed by Library Board President Kit Hadley, to close a number of branches in order to consolidate services. Locations under the axe include Southeast, Webber Park, Roosevelt and Walker Libraries. It’s a move that some people see as inevitable. Southside resident Sheldon Mains noted recently that “Roosevelt [library] is one mile from [the Lake St. branch] and a little over that from two other libraries.” “We just have too many libraries for the budget,” he said.

However, at a March 14 meeting, the library board voted to enact temporary cutbacks in order to make up a $2 million short-term deficit rather than close those locations altogether. After hearing from upset neighborhood members, the board even voted to keep the Franklin Library, which had been scheduled to close in April for renovations, open until September.

Mayor Rybak has described the current under-funded and overextended state of the city’s library system as passing on “a time bomb to our kids,” and has emphasized quality over quantity in terms of library resources. “We can’t build everything we said we would and leave them open only three hours a day,” he said. He has said that if Board President Hadley recommended scrapping the Central Library project altogether, he would support that decision.

Much of the rest of the board remains skeptical that such a move would actually save money, given the vagaries and back-of-the-envelope calculations that have gone into contingency plans. Their skepticism is affirmed by the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library: they note that, even if the city were able to secure and renovate the temporary Marquette Plaza location, there would be insufficient space for the library’s collection. Much of it would have to remain in storage, unavailable for browsing—hardly the sort of “gateway to knowledge and information” they hope for.

In recent weeks, a new possibility has developed that might be able to mitigate some of the huge operating costs of a new Central Library. Mayor Rybak, who has been looking to save city funds by merging overlapping departments, has proposed operating the new Central Library cooperatively with Hennepin County, using funds from both the Minneapolis Library System and the Hennepin County Library system. The latter serves suburban communities. Some County Board members have balked at the proposal, however, describing it as “underwriting” Minneapolis’ poor financial decisions.

Hard Times for Parks, Too

While the Park Board has been spared some of the Library Board’s turmoil due to the absence of a major construction project, it has plenty of cutting of its own to do. “The Governor’s proposed budget is a 47 percent reduction in Local Government Aid funding for the Board and a 20 percent reduction in our tax-supported operations,” said Park Board President Bob Fine. “The impact of the state’s budget deficit coupled with our sluggish economy means that deep cuts must be made.”

The Park Board began making cuts last fall in response to early forecasts of the state’s budget deficit, but now the Board is turning to the community for more input about which services they should cut. They have set up focus groups, town meetings and surveys to ask residents for their ideas on how it can balance its budget. One of the six scheduled town meetings will take place at the Powderhorn Community Center, 3400 15th Ave. S., on May 6. At the meeting, a team of Park Board employees will share details about the Park Board budget. That information, along with an online survey, will also be available at www.minneapolisparks.org.