TACOMA – At its November meeting, the Pierce County Library System Board of Trustees will discuss the proposed 2014 budget, the 2013 Summer Reading Program, meetings with local officials, and other issues. The board will meet from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the library’s Processing and Administrative Center, 3005 112th St. E., in Tacoma. Download the agenda.
2014 Proposed Budget: The Board of Trustees will conduct its first public hearing on its proposed 2014 budget of $25,654,035. The proposed budget addresses a $1.1 million shortfall from the 2013 budget using a combination of spending reductions, staff efficiencies and cash reserves. 2014 property values have increased by 2.94 percent, contributing to a revenue increase of 3.70 percent. However, the revenue increase does not offset increases for maintenance and operations, personnel, benefits, retirement and wages.
2013 Summer Reading Program: More than 16,000 children read a total of nearly 100,000 hours in the 2013 Summer Reading Program. With the online Teen Summer Challenge, teens spent more than 6,000 hours reading and nearly 18,000 hours engaged on the web. In response to public requests, the library increased the number of learning events by 38 percent, with 36 percent more people attending events in 2013 than in 2012.
Meetings with Local Officials: Pierce County Library System Executive Director Neel Parikh continues the tradition of meeting with new local officials. This year, she has met with superintendents of Eatonville, Fife, Peninsula, Puyallup and Steilacoom school districts, and with and the new city manager of Lakewood. The library values new and continuing relationships with community partners.
Pierce County Library is the fourth largest library system in the state, based on the number of people it serves, which is a population of 555,000.