The budget process continues in Nelson with presentations from community organizations to council this week. That includes the Touchstones Museum of Art and History, the Nelson and District Arts Council and the Nelson Innovation Centre.
Chief Librarian at the Nelson Public Library, Tracy Therrien, explains what their requested increase is for 2019.
“Our proposed budget is increasing by two per cent and that’s primarily cost of living so things like heating the library, keeping the lights on.”
She says the last collective agreement also factors in with wage increases. The library has 14 staff with 10 of those Full Time Equivalent. Therrien adds about $60,000 is raised for the library through donations and fundraising. The City covers approximately 68 per cent of the their budget with the Province contributing some as well; however, that number has been stagnant for the past 10 years, according to Therrien. She says the role of libraries has expanded during that time as well as the costs.
Another goal for the board is to continue working on a plan for a new location. They’ll be looking for some community input, says Therrian. “What they plan on doing is really doing some community engagement to learn what people want in a newer or larger library, what types of services they’d like to see. And we know there’s lots of other community agencies out there that may also be looking for a community space.”
The board is open to the idea of sharing a space to help reduce costs and all opportunities will be explored this year. Therrien describes the library as “bursting at the seems” and says it’s time to move forward with seeking a new location.
