UPDATED: 6:01 pm MDT October 8, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Pikes Peak Library District 2011 budget indicates it is already preparing for possible deep cuts, if Amendments 60, 61 and Proposition 101 pass in the November election.
“When we calculated the difference of 60, 61, 101 passing, it meant a 30 percent drop in our revenue,” said Lynne Telford of Pikes Peak United Way and president of the PPLD Board of Trustees.
In scenario A, if the measures don't pass, the library district would operate with a $26million budget. In scenario B, if 60 61 and 101 pass, that number drops to $18 million. That equals an 8 million dollar revenue reduction for the 2011 budget.
“What it means is that we will lose half of the branches, and we'll lose 150 positions,” said Telford of the PPLD’s current 439 positions.
The library district is already taking preventative measures. It is under a hiring freeze.The list of cuts in scenario B include getting rid of programs such as reading time for children, and closing surviving libraries one hour earlier.
“The library is used in so many ways, and I would be sad to see us cut back on any of it,” said Telford.
The cuts we discussed would only affect the 2011 budget. If the tax-cutting measures pass, the PPLD could expect deeper cuts over the next four years.
