2021-2022 Budget Hearing

Budget Hearing 6:00 P.M.

Proposed Budget 2021-2022

Donnelly Public Library District Budget Proposal 2021-2022

Established in November, 2017, the Donnelly Public Library District took over operations of the Donnelly Community Library on July 1, 2018. While 2020 was no different from so many in our community who had more than their fair share of challenges, overall in our four years of operations, we have still seen tremendous growth in membership and circulation. In addition, minus a two-week Covid-19 related closure, our library took 2020s’ lemons and made lemonade moving forward.

Library Offerings Overview

The library has a sizable collection of books and media for checkout, two public computer terminals, wifi, and community programming.  We offer access to digital audiobooks and ebooks through the Idaho Digital Consortium, which is available to patrons on multiple platforms.  Year-round we provide enriching programming for children, including an after-school program, a weekly summer reading club, weekly storytime and crafts at the Donnelly Farmer’s Market and monthly summer camps!  For adults, we have Tea on Tuesdays and ‘Book Club in a Bag’ programs.  We actively seek out partnerships to help us grow and expand our offerings. Some of our partners include Valley County 4-H, Head Start, community libraries throughout the county and even the country when we can make it work, Payette Children’s Forest, Donnelly Farmer’s Market, local businesses and Chambers of Commerce, etc. Though 2020 did force us to adjust the way we conducted business for a time, we have returned to our regular in-person programming and full operational services as of January 2021.  Our online card catalog, events calendar, and updates are available at www.donnellylibrary.org. The library is currently open Tuesday to Friday 12:00-6:00 p.m. 

Budget and Operations Overview

Please reference the budget handout with this section. Prior budget is for the fiscal year starting October 1, 2020 and ending September 30, 2021. Prior budget numbers are provided for comparison, pursuant to Idaho Code 33-2725. 

The taxing district revenue is estimated to be ( 61,400.00). 

Wages are based on three part-time employees—a Library Director, a Staff Librarian and a Programming Librarian.  In January, we added an Americorp member to our team to assist with after school programming and the summer reading program. 

We have increased the dues and fees based on our decision to charge for programming while providing scholarships to low income families. Our youth programming now pays primarily for itself and is meeting the needs of our community.  The attendance has increased and is consistent.  This provides for better planning and quality programs.  

We have included $15,000 in Donnelly LOT funds to purchase an outdoor classroom in the Fall, with the hope of continuing Fall and Winter programming outside, due to our limited indoor space. 

To that end, the library’s current building is bursting at the seams. Current occupancy, set by the fire department, is 16 people. On any given day, we regularly have more than 16 people attending our offered programs. As a result, we are forced to hold these activities outside, regardless of weather conditions, to ensure library patrons and staff can be inside the building.  While we are working hard on expansion plans to alleviate our capacity problems, expanding is still likely several years away. However, we have budgeted for the planning and possibly excavation phase of the expansion and should we progress more quickly still, this budget line would also allow us to reopen our budget later in the year to approve construction funds.

Public Budget Hearing Details

A public budget hearing will be held Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at the Donnelly Public Library, 150 E. State St., Donnelly, ID.  Any questions or comments before that time may be left at the library or emailed to [email protected].