Concerns Expressed Over Waukesha County Library Funding Formula

Link to July 15 JSOnline article, "Waukesha County plan to reward libraries for out-of-town patrons ".

Excerpt:
County officials say some library administrators are overstating the impact of a proposed new formula for distributing more than $2 million in county aid to libraries.

The formula, which requires County Board approval, would redistribute funds based partly on which libraries serve the most out-of-town customers.

Despite concerns expressed by some library administrators, county officials said the proposal has safeguards that would protect libraries from drastic changes in county funding.

At least one library director takes no comfort in these assurances.

Brookfield Public Library Director Edell Schaefer said she was standing by her estimate that the Brookfield facility could lose $30,000 or more under the new formula. Schaefer said another projection showed Brookfield’s loss surpassing $50,000, although she said the details were unclear.

Link to Waukesha County Federated Library System.
Link to Waukesha County Department of Administration.