The library needs to move out of the community center building and back into the library building.

Why?

Simple. The library cannot afford the upkeep of the community center building.

The library moved into the Roy F. Collier Community Center in 2020. In 2019, the library finished the year with $914,000 in cash in the bank.

On June 30, 2024 it finished the year with $48,000 in cash in the bank.

In 2022 the library spent $275,252 more than it took in. In 2023 the library spent $89,456 more than it took in.

Where has the money gone?

In 2023 utilities and telephone were $139,000. In the two years before moving to the community center, utilities and telephone averaged $25,000 a year.

The library has a certificate of deposit that has stayed the same in value for several years other than interest being added, now being worth $326,000. It cannot be used for expenses because it was put up to stand good for a $223,000 loan to buy a new air conditioning system for the Collier Center.

As the library board was told by the auditor in its July 23 meeting it is the cost of running the community center building that is causing the library its financial woes.

The library needs to move back into its building that was designed to be a library and let the county take care of the community center building itself.

The library has not been able to afford to buy any new books since February. Maybe if it moved back into the library building it could serve its purpose of providing the public with books. After all, it is a library isn’t it?