As Treasure Island looks for ways to trim city expenses, commissioners have begun scrutinizing a service used by a significant share of the city\u2019s residents: access to Pinellas County\u2019s public libraries.<\/p>\n
Treasure Island currently contributes $166,623 annually to Gulf Beaches Public Library. With that agreement set to expire Sept. 30, commissioners are considering whether the city should continue paying its current share, negotiate a cheaper arrangement or shift some or all of the cost directly to residents who use the service.<\/p>\n
The consequences of that decision became clearer Tuesday, when Cheryl Morales, executive director of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, appeared before commissioners during the city\u2019s final budget hearing.<\/p>\n
In a subsequent interview with the Catalyst, Morales said about 2,700 Treasure Island residents currently have active library privileges. That\u2019s equivalent to roughly four in every 10 residents counted in the city\u2019s 2020 Census population of 6,584.<\/p>\n
If Treasure Island stops financially supporting a public library without another agreement in the works, Morales said those privileges would be turned off Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t have an agreement in place and you\u2019re not financially supporting a public library in Pinellas County, your residents have no privileges,\u201d Morales said.<\/p>\n
The possibility emerged during an Aug. 21 budget workshop as commissioners combed through city expenses looking for savings.<\/p>\n
Their discussion centered on the city\u2019s $166,623 contribution and 854 Treasure Island residents with cards issued through Gulf Beaches Public Library. The city\u2019s contribution is currently based on population rather than the number of those cardholders.<\/p>\n
Vice Mayor Tammy Vasquez proposed replacing the existing contribution with a system in which the city would reimburse residents who obtain library cards.<\/p>\n
Using a hypothetical $75 reimbursement and the 854-card figure, Vasquez estimated Treasure Island could spend about $64,000 annually and save roughly $102,000.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Arden Dickey offered another possibility: renegotiating the city\u2019s contribution based on cardholders rather than population. His calculation put Treasure Island\u2019s annual cost at about $55,000, a savings of approximately $111,000.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Chris Clark questioned whether the city should pay for residents\u2019 library access at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people who use the library should have to pay,\u201d Clark said. \u201cI\u2019m never going to go to the library ever, so why do I have to pay money for something that I\u2019m never going to use?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dickey pushed back on eliminating the benefit entirely. He said he had recently visited the St. Pete Beach library and found plenty of people using it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of people that still depend on this library,\u201d Dickey said.<\/p>\n
Commissioners did not settle the issue during the workshop and asked staff to examine the city\u2019s agreements and alternatives.<\/p>\n
The 854 cards used in those calculations, however, represented only Treasure Island residents whose cards were issued through Gulf Beaches Public Library, Morales said. The city\u2019s actual number of active library users is about 2,700.<\/p>\n
Those privileges encompass more than borrowing books. Morales said residents would also lose access to e-books, digital resources and other services available through the cooperative if the city\u2019s participation lapses.<\/p>\n
Treasure Island residents would still have an option if the city stopped funding library service, but they would have to pay for it themselves.<\/p>\n
Morales said residents could go to any of Pinellas County\u2019s 24 public libraries and purchase an individual card for $100 per year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know $100 is hard for people to come up with,\u201d Morales said.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s relationship with the regional library system is also governed by more than one agreement. Commissioners learned during the August workshop that while the Gulf Beaches agreement expires this month, a separate interlocal agreement extends beyond it and includes provisions governing withdrawal. City officials asked the attorney to review how the agreements interact before a final decision.<\/p>\n
For now, commissioners have kept library funding in the city\u2019s budget while officials consider whether Treasure Island can negotiate a less expensive arrangement.<\/p>\n
That leaves time to avoid an Oct. 1 interruption in service. Morales said the cooperative would not immediately cut off residents\u2019 privileges if the city is actively trying to reach a new agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re working on an agreement, certainly we\u2019d give them some leeway,\u201d Morales said.<\/p>\n
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