The Barrie Public Library is asking for another 5.53 per cent in city funding this year — or $517,923 more.
Library officials will present their 2024 budget to city council Jan. 17.
“The challenges in this budget are definitely inflation, as well as the safety and security challenges that we are facing,” said Lauren Jessop, the Barrie Public Library's chief executive officer. “Those are the main factors that are driving this budget.”
New to the library budget is information referral and community navigation, with a $78,387 price tag. It links vulnerable people to the most appropriate services and supports, promotes mental health and well-being during what the Barrie Public Library calls an unprecedented mental health, addictions and food insecurity crises.
Jessop says the Barrie Public Library is looking at contracting out, to another agency, for support in helping people navigate the social services system.
“Social services are complex and obviously library staff are skilled in finding information and sharing information," she said, "but they don’t always have the time, the capacity or the skill set to help somebody when they’re coming in with some complex challenges, like they need housing and they need employment.
“So we’re looking for somebody who has expertise in navigating those systems, as well as somebody who has the skills to de-escalate somebody who might be upset and sort of mediate those challenging situations that we are facing, especially downtown," Jessop added.
Libraries across Canada have been using community navigation or community outreach workers for a decade, she said.
“We’re finding now that it’s just becoming a little bit more challenging than what the staff who are working at the downtown library can handle,” Jessop said. “We have security guards in place, but they’re not always the ones who are best suited to meet those challenges. Sometimes people just need that additional support to get to those resources that they need, that are already existing in the community.”
The city budgeted almost $1.18 million for security services in 2023, $1.21 million in 2022 and has budgeted $1.23 million for 2024.
The Barrie Public Library is asking that the city grant portion of this year’s budget increase to $9,891,033 from $9,373,110 last year.
Inflation is expected to add $180,697 to Barrie Public Library expenses this year.
Salaries and benefits this year would total $6.64 million, an increase from $6.38 million last year. This breaks down to a salary increase of $158,247, $99,591 more in benefits, for a $258,839 total.
But not every aspect of library operations and expenses is increasing.
There would be a reduction of $100,000 in the library materials and programs budget, and this will result in fewer library materials and longer wait times.
“Basically, we’re just trying to keep our costs as low as we can,” Jessop said. “That is one area where we maybe have more flexibility. We don’t have flexibility in terms of some of our unavoidable costs. We have contracts with our staff. One area where we can make a reduction is in the amount of materials we buy.”
The library materials and programs budget would fall to $1.3 million this year from $1.4 million from last year.
Partially offsetting those savings is an expected four to eight per cent increase in what the Barrie Public Library calls vendor costs — library materials, books, DVDs, etc.
The library is also raising the cost of non-Barrie resident membership from to $100 from $75 to reflect inflation and enhanced library services.
No provincial funding increase is expected, but the Barrie Public Library says advocacy is in progress.
It has budgeted for total 2024 expenses of $10.46 million, paid for by the $9.89-million city grant and $569,749 in other grants and fees. Last year’s nearly $9.4-million city grant was augmented by $841,183 in other fees and grants for a $10.2-million budget total.
The Barrie Public Library's 2024 budget requires city council approval and that will be considered at its Jan. 31 meeting.
It has 12,473 new library members since last year, for a total of 41,145, and also had a 52 per cent increase to in-person visits last year, compared to 2022.
The downtown branch, on Worsley Street, was built in 1996 and is 56,200 square feet, while the Painswick branch on Dean Avenue is 15,000 sq. ft. and was built in 2011. The Holly Community Library opened in mid-2022, at 555 Essa Rd., and is 4,500 sq. ft.
There are plans for more branches in Barrie — in community centres planned in the Hewitt's and Salem areas in the former Innisfil land, each at 15,000 sq. ft. in size.
