Library Wants Tax Vote

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh wants to know if city residents are willing to raise their property taxes to help keep the system in the black. The library and its volunteers have launched a petition drive to place a referendum on the November ballot that would ask voters to raise their property taxes by .25 mills.

“That would be used exclusively, only, for the operation and maintenance of this system, which thousands upon thousands upon thousands of us across this entire city, and really this region, value as a corner stone,” said Library Board Member and Pittsburgh City Councilman Patrick Dowd.

The tax amounts to $25 dollars for every $100,000 of assessed value on residential and commercial property. The millage rate increase would raise between $3.25 and $3.5 million dollars a year. The library system is facing a projected deficit of $5 million in 2014.

Board Member and Allegheny County Judge Frank Lucchino says the library is looking at other income generating options. Also being pursued is a campaign to increase the library’s endowment, asking the Regional Asset District for more money, doubling individual giving, increasing corporate and foundation giving and working with state and local governments to find ways to boost revenues. Lucchino tired to fend off arguments that a tax increase would make the city less competitive in the fight for economic development. “The library is the future of the city and the library makes it more competitive.”

“115 years this library has been here and now the people will have a voice on deciding do they want this library to continue,” said Lucchino, “It will be up to them.”

To get on the ballot, supporters need to collect about 2,800 signatures. Lucchino has set a goal of collecting 9,000 signatures to avoid any problems if names are disqualified.

Mistick to Head Wilson College

Outgoing Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh President Barbara has been named the President of Wilson College. She will take over the post at the Chambersburg-based women’s college July 1. She will become the 19th president in the 142-year history of the Presbyterian-related college. Wilson Board of Trustees Chair Trudi Blair says college sought a president who could lead the school through the next critical stage in its history.

“We have certainly been successful in finding a person with the skills to meet that challenge in Barbara Mistick,” says Blair.

“I am excited to become a part of the wonderful tradition of Wilson College, and I look forward to getting to know the entire community and building on the solid foundation that exists at the college,” says Mistick.

Mistick announced she was leaving the library in December.

Library Faces $3M shortfall

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is looking to take input from and rally the support of the general public as it begins planning for its 2010 budget. The library made nearly $2 million dollars in cuts this year in an effort to keep its 2009 budget in balance. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh President Barbara Mistick says she is looking at a $3 million shortfall next year and $4.5 million deficit in 2011 if nothing is done. She says without new revenues or creative solutions they will have to close branches and that is the last thing she wants to do at a time when library usage is up. She says library usage system wide hit a 17-year high last year. She says the system is becoming more important as people turn to libraries not only as a source of books, CDs and DVDs but also as a place for job search help, internet access and free children’s programs. The library system will hold least three town hall meetings in July to allow people to make suggestions on what cuts could be made. The dates and locations are to be announced next week. Supporters will also be asked to write letters to lawmakers asking for more public funding. Mistick did not make any recommendations on how to increase revenue other than to suggest that Pittsburgh offers less funding than other host cities. 72% of the library’s budget comes from the sales tax funded Regional Asset District, 20% from the state and just .2% from the city. She says the budget problems have been looming in the future for a while but the economic downturn has accelerated the problem as sales tax revenues fall and the state threatens to cut funding for all libraries. Mistick notes that the city has seen its population cut in half since 1950 but the library has retained the same infrastructure. However, she says each branch is a critical part of the neighborhood it serves and would be missed if they were closed.

Study Says CLP May Need to Right Size

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh asked the RAND Corporation to study is income and spending and rand came back with a list of ideas. Chief among them was a right sizing of the system. Also near the top of the list was finding new revenue sources considering a merger of the more than 40 independent libraries in the county. Carnegie Library president Barbara K. Mistick says a merger would be very difficult. The Carnegie Library system has 19 branches and a $26 million budget. More than half of the budget comes from the Allegheny Regional Asset District. The district gets it’s funding from a sales tax, which is expected to slump in the soft economy. Funding from the state is also on the decline. Mistick said the Center for Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University will conduct such a right-sizing study within six months.

MAIN CARNEGIE LIBRARY CUTS HOURS

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is cutting back the number of hours at its main branch in Oakland. Starting Friday, January 2, 2009, the main branch will open one hour later Friday's and Saturday's only. The new hours will be 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on those days.
Spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes says they determined that those were the hours when the Oakland library was least populated. She says the service cutbacks are a result of reduced state funding for 2009 and flat local funding. Nearly 70 percent of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's annual operating budget comes from the Allegheny County Regional Asset District. She says the dependence on the sales tax has made the library more vulnerable in the current economic climate.

Alcoa Foundation Awards $1.2 million

The Alcoa Foundation has awarded $!.2 million to three Pittsburgh non-profits, bringing its total for the past five years in Allegheny County to $11 million.

$600,000 goes to the August Wilson Center for African American Culture now under construction downtown. The grant will be used for permanent exhibits and for the currently touring exhibit of Teenie Harris photos with an accompanying dance performance--both will wind up at the center's opening in 2009.

The Carnegie Library will put its $400,000 toward improving childrens' sections in several branches and for renovations and new construction on the North Side and in the Hill District.

$200,000 will be used by the Children's Institute to study the feasibility of an "Environmental Pediatric Room" --a "clean room" with reduced toxins and exposures. Autistic children would live there for a few weeks to a few months. Friends and family could go in and out, enjoying the clean air, water and organic food in a beautiful setting. Dr. Scott Faber said the hope is the children would undergo biomedical change in that environment, especially de-toxifying chemicals and heavy metals in their bodies. There could be improvements in the immune system, language and socialization, along with a decrease in repetitive behavior patterns.