Excerpt: Supervisors are in the middle of an ongoing controversy with the Burlington and Mediapolis libraries over about $6,000, which is little more than 5 percent of the total $138,156 the libraries are charging to provide rural residents with services.
Based on a formula instituted by both libraries about five years ago, Burlington is billing $104,999 and Mediapolis $33,157. The libraries, in a show of solidarity, have sent the county a joint contract and asked it be signed by May 16. Supervisors thus far have not indicated whether they plan to approve the contract.
Instead, supervisors have said the county will only pay $31,390 to Mediapolis and $99,402 to Burlington.
To make the county's $26.09 million budget balance, supervisors earlier this year asked all county departments to reduce their financial requests by 5 percent. Supervisor Bob Beck said it is only fair the libraries make the same sacrifice.
"We have gone to extreme measures to make our budget work," Beck said. "And for us to ask someone for 5 percent, I don't think it out of line.
"There is still a pretty hefty sum that is going to come out of the county funds to pay for library services, which I think are more than generous. I don't apologize a bit for asking for a 5 percent reduction to balance our budget.
"If we give the library concession, can you imagine what our labor is going to say when they come forward (to negotiate contracts)."
If the three-member board of supervisors refuses to pay the full amount, library officials have said rural residents could lose their cards. The decision to pull the cards likely would not be made until next month.
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