New Library Funding Formula Approved

The Allegheny County Library Association has sent a new funding formula to the Regional Asset District. Last year the ACLA wrapped up an 18-month study into how to best distribute the more than $5 million allocated from the RAD tax to the 44 libraries in the county that are not part of the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh. The RAD board used that formula for a year but asked the ACLA to revamp the formula. That new formula was approved last night on a 34-7 vote.

Among the libraries that will see the largest gain; Sto-Rox +$33,615.36, Allegheny Valley +$28,698.94, and Braddock +$28,000.68. Among the libraries that will see the largest declines; Mt. Lebanon ($81,150.19), Monroeville ($77,487.95) and Upper St. Clair ($39,632.56). The smallest changes will be seen by Coraopolis, which will see its funding fall by $$257.74.

Read more: wduqnews.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-library-funding-formula-approved.html

RAD Cuts Crippling Library, Mt. Lebanon Officials Say

Commissioners in Mt. Lebanon plan to advise the board of Allegheny County's Regional Asset District that a second year of reductions in RAD allocations to member libraries might further affect Mt. Lebanon's ability to continue some of its popular programs in 2011.

Manager Steve Feller said Mt. Lebanon faces another $65,000-$70,000 in library cuts for 2011. "We are one of the most widely used libraries in the county, our local support is substantial, but we are being penalized," he said.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_680592.html

County Libraries Debate Plan For Fund-Sharing Formula

Most would agree you can't put a price on the services public libraries provide to communities. But deciding precisely how much money should go to suburban libraries in Allegheny County has become an unlikely source of contention.

It's a tough time for the 44 libraries that receive annual funding through the county's Regional Asset District. With proposed cuts in the state budget looming and individual contributions down, many have come to count on a chunk of RAD's $5.6 million allocation.

Recently, the Allegheny County Library Association presented the RAD board with a proposal to change the fund-sharing formula used since 2000. Committee members -- roughly 22 volunteers from libraries representing the four geographic areas of the county -- spent 18 months working on what eventually would be three different versions of a new formula.

Mt. Lebanon director Cynthia Richey, who is the vice president of the ACLA board but is not on the formula committee, has been perhaps the most outspoken critic of the formula recently rejected by RAD.

"Mt. Lebanon has long supported funding for distressed libraries, and we still expect to lose [RAD funds]," Mrs. Richey said. "But it is a flawed formula. … We want to see it equitably distributed, so you don't have a huge gain by one library and a huge loss by another."

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09281/1003684-55.stm

RAD Board Rejects Revised Funding Formula For Libraries

The Allegheny Regional Asset District board yesterday rejected a revised fund-sharing formula for the county's 44 community libraries because the new approach fails to encourage financial contributions from their communities.

The board was also concerned that the plan, intended to take effect next year, could result in "swift changes in funding levels," it said in a statement. "Those (libraries) that experience (funding) declines will find them difficult to absorb with short notice."

Yesterday's RAD meeting was attended by Mt. Lebanon Public Library Director Cynthia Richey, who said she was encouraged by the recommendation that ACLA come back with a formula that would not penalize those community libraries receiving support from their local governments. She noted that even with a different formula, Mt. Lebanon stands to lose more funding than any other ACLA-member libraries.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09273/1001794-455.stm

Library Seeks Public Input On Cuts

When word went out that the Mt. Lebanon Public Library stands to lose more than 10 percent of its annual budget due to funding cuts, the public was invited to attend forums soliciting ways to reduce the shortfall. Only two residents showed up Sept. 8 for the first of three forums.

One problem facing the library is the lack of a state budget, making it difficult to determine how much state funding will be available.

Another is that if the Allegheny County Library Association adopts a new formula for distributing money through the Regional Asset District, the Mt. Lebanon library could lose more than $170,000, said library director Cynthia Richey. The annual library budget is $1.6 million.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/09-16-ML-library-funding

Allegheny Regional Asset District Continues Hold On Spending

Local libraries, parks and cultural attractions, already hurting because of the declining economy took another wallop Wednesday from the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

RAD's board, worried about declining sales tax collections, announced that it would continue withholding 10 percent of operating grants and all discretionary capital grants at least for two more months.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_632898.html

More on Proposed Cuts to the RAD Contribution to the Mt. Lebanon Library Budget

An important message from Joe Wertheim, regarding proposed cuts in RAD funding for the Mt. Lebaon Library:

Special Board meeting-Wednesday, July 8, at 4 p.m. in the RAD conference room, 1610 of the Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh. This meeting is to discuss projected revenues for the remainder of 2009 and 2010, as well as any other matters (which would be the proposed ACLA formula). Public speakers have to register by 10:30 a.m. the day of the meeting; comments are limited to 3 minutes.

Contractual Asset hearings are August 25 and 27 at 3:30 p.m. Same location.
(ACLA is a contractual asset)

Board meeting & prelim budget release: Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. Same location

Budget public hearing-October 21 at 3:30 p.m. Same location

Board meeting & adoption of 2010 budget--December 1 at 4 p.m. Same location

The RAD, however, will not vote on the formula until sometime in September, after they have heard the budget presentations from all the assets.

The RAD Board's next Board meeting will be September 29 at which time they release their preliminary budget. Public comments can be made at that meeting.

There will still be time after that to speak to the RAD at the October 21 budget public hearing.
The RAD adopts its final budget at the Dec. 1 Board meeting.

There is time before the vote to contact the RAD members to express your concern about the negative impact on our library if the ACLA formula is allowed to stand.

Thanks for your help.
Joe Wertheim, President
Friends of the Mt. Lebanon Public Library

Save Mt. Lebanon Library

We received a flyer today from a member of the Mt. Lebanon Library Board of Trustees regarding the potential funding cut as a result of a change to the Allegheny County Library Association’s (ACLA) formula for the distribution of Regional Asset District (RAD) funds to 44 county libraries.

I have posted the contents of the flyer below since we can't upload PDF files to our blogging account:

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Save Mt. Lebanon Library!

We need your help! Take action and tell RAD to say NO to the ACLA funding formula!

Why?

If RAD accepts the ACLA formula—Mt. Lebanon Library loses and so do you! Mt. Lebanon Library will lose more than $170,000 in annual funding.

You lose:

• Friday and Sunday service at the Library—we will have to close for these two days—all year long!
  
• Popular Library programs—for example—instead of five preschool story times each week—we will have one!
  
• Valuable help from Library staff—we will have to reduce staff by six part-time positions!
  
• Material for you to borrow—we will have to reduce our purchases of books, audio and video materials, magazine, and online databases by approximately 40%.
  

Don’t let this happen to this gem in our community.

Don’t let this happen to the thousands of people who use our Library. Don’t let this happen to you

Help now—by writing to RAD and telling them to say NO to ACLA!!! We need your help and we need it now. Thanks for supporting the Mt. Lebanon Library!

Here are some points about Allegheny County Library Association’s (ACLA) formula for the distribution of Regional Asset District (RAD) funds to 44 county libraries. Feel free to use those that resonate with you. Please contact the library if you have any questions or would like additional information. 412-531-1912.

CALL OR WRITE NOW—HERE’S HOW:

You may call or send your letters or e-mail messages to:

Regional Asset District
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1610
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-227-1900
info@radworkshere.org

Background

The Regional Asset District (RAD) provides $5,175,000 to 44 public libraries in Allegheny County. Using a formula developed by the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA), the funds are distributed to the county libraries (excluding Carnegie Library of Pitts-burgh, which receives its RAD funds directly). Since 1995, when RAD began distributing funds to regional assets such as the zoo, parks, and libraries, ACLA has served as a pass-through for RAD funds to libraries and has used a formula for the distribution. ACLA recently created a radically new formula, the third since 1995. The last revision to a formula was in 2000. The RAD must approve any distribution formula developed by ACLA. RAD will decide later this summer and fall whether to approve ACLA’s new formula.

Points about ACLA’s formula

Inequitable Support for Distressed Libraries

Support for distressed libraries is grossly inequitable. Wilkinsburg, a distressed library, loses $54,402. McKeesport, another distressed library, gains $132,771. The assertion that the formula’s swings in gains and losses are due to additional money going to distressed librar-ies is inaccurate. Net gain for the 8 distressed libraries is less than $150,000 (of the $5,175,000 RAD funds distributed to all 44 county libraries.)

Large Gains to Non-Distressed Libraries

Non-distressed libraries gain a total of $442,175 in the formula. Many of these libraries serve communities that can afford to support li-braries well, for example, Moon, Hampton, Plum, Northland [serving McCandless, Franklin Park, Ross, Bradford Woods, Marshall], Lauri Ann West [serving Fox Chapel, O’Hara, Aspinwall, Blawnox, Sharpsburg, and others], to name a few.

Inequitable Regional Distribution—the South Takes the Biggest Hit!

There is inequitable regional distribution in the formula: South Region libraries take biggest hit, with 10 of the 12 libraries losing more than $411,000 (Mt. Lebanon loses $171,000), while only 2 gain: Clairton, a distressed library, gains $25,108 while Pleasant Hills gains only $2,559. Green Tree library (in ACLA’s West Region, but contiguous to South Region libraries) loses $29,540. [Libraries in ACLA’s South Region: Baldwin Borough, Bethel Park, Brentwood, Clairton, Castle Shannon, Dormont, Jefferson Hills, Mt. Lebanon, Pleasant Hills, South Park, Upper St. Clair, Whitehall] The loss of library service to the residents of the South Hills of Allegheny County will be catastrophic. This cannot be considered fair or equitable.

Mt. Lebanon Suffers the Largest Loss—More than 10% of our Operating Budget!

Mt. Lebanon has long been one of the most successful libraries in the county and state, serving people of all ages from across southwest-ern Pennsylvania. The award-winning library’s high usage measures are evidence of this success and exceed those of peer libraries across the country: circulation, library visits, collection size, reference questions, program attendance, public computer use, web site visits, and more. Moreover, the library receives strong support from the municipality and residents of the community, which should be rewarded and leveraged in the funding formula, as it has been since 1995. It does not make sense that Mt. Lebanon Public Library is losing the largest amount in the formula, $170,976, more than double the next biggest loss by a library. This is more than 10% of our operating budget.

Large Swings in Gains and Losses is Too Extreme

This is not the time to enact a radically changed ACLA formula for the distribution of RAD funds to libraries, one that contains wild swings in gains and losses. Twenty-three of the forty-four libraries lose RAD funds in ACLA’s formula. In a year when libraries already face severe funding cuts from the State (perhaps as much as 50%), it is unthinkable that a formula redistribution causes so many of these libraries to suffer extreme losses.

No Incentive for Local Support

The lack of a factor that leverages local income and municipal support penalizes libraries that have good municipal support. Moreover, the lack of a factor to provide any incentive for local income will result in further reduced library support and diminished library service across the county. The intent of RAD funds has always been to supplement, not supplant, local municipal and community support of libraries and to leverage local financing. It is impossible for RAD to support county libraries in lieu of meaningful local contributions. The formula should reward local support of libraries.

We urge the Regional Asset District Board to reject ACLA’s new formula.

Save Mt. Lebanon Library—Tell RAD—say NO to ACLA!!

State Funding Formula Would Put Suburban Libraries In A Jam

Suburban libraries are scrambling to figure out how to make up lost money under a proposed formula that appears to address concerns expressed by those providing the dollars.

Suburban libraries wrangled over a formula for four years and approved the latest version this week by a 33-9 vote, with two abstentions. "It was designed so that there would be predictable funding from year to year," Jenkins said. "It was designed to be as simple as possible and as equitable as possible."

The old formula was based on population, economic distress, use of the library by residents and nonresidents, the number of hours the library is open and local funding. This formula, if RAD approves, would not consider library hours or local funding.

Jenkins noted 14 libraries that would lose money voted for the formula. South Park and Mt. Lebanon public libraries, however, voted against it. Cynthia Richey, director of Mt. Lebanon's library, said the formula doesn't accomplish the goal of helping distressed libraries.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_631161.html