Washington County libraries make funding request

WASHINGTON — Librarians made their pitch to the Washington County Board of Supervisors at a meeting last week, as the local government gears up for budget season. For Wellman, Kalona and Washington libraries, the annual request matched that of the last several years, to the tune of $165,000.

Washington Library Director Cary Ann Siegfried said the services were back in full swing after the pandemic hindered activities and access for many patrons.

“I kind of like to refer to 2022 as the kind of rebuilding and revisiting year,” she said. “We really have had people rushing back into all our libraries … it’s been really great to return to full library services, and even kind of go past there.”

Siegfried said libraries could “level the playing field,” helping rural residents around the area access things like employment services and other online resources.

“We offer wireless access in all of our buildings … we had over 20,000 wireless sessions in all of our buildings last year,” she said. “Everyone has access to growing library services despite what their financial situation is.”

While the six-figure ask matches that of recent years, Siegfried said services at the libraries continued to grow in scope and size.

Library reports show rising circulation across the board: Washington saw a 30% increase in checkouts, while Kalona broke its own record with over 50,000 materials borrowed throughout the year.

Kalona Library Director of Youth Services Olivia Kahler said summer reading programs were more popular than ever. Coordinated activities with schools, including reading time and early-out programming, are also growing in popularity.

“We held 53 programs in (a) nine-week frame, and brought in over 1,700 people through our doors,” she said. “That just speaks volumes about families and children wanting to be where we are.”

In Wellman, growing demand has the library prepared to double its square footage by the end of the year, with funding from a Riverboat grant. Wellman Library Director Erin Campbell said it was an effort to meet high demand for summer reading programming, which the building currently lacks space for.

“We’ll be able to double our space, but also be able to continue to grow what services we offer and the amount of books we have in our collection,” she said. “Construction is set to start in June.”

Kalona Library Director Trevor Sherping said ongoing county allocations were key to the institutions’ materials and services. He said county dollars generally covered IT contracts, continuing education for certified staff, digital materials, movie-showing licenses and summer reading performers.

Sherping said the $165,000 annual payments put Washington County in Iowa’s top third of per capita funding when they began, but now placed it around the 60th rank in the state.

“Every year that we come, we tell you, and I hope that you don’t tire of hearing, that we’re breaking more records,” he said. “Each year, it’s very generous funding, but it makes it difficult a little bit harder for us. We have to find funding sources elsewhere, it’s not always possible. I know next year, for my library, we’re going to be dipping into reserves quite a bit.”

State law only requires cities and counties to contribute an amount equivalent to a property tax levy of $0.0675 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The amount is considerably lower than the libraries’ ask. Sherping said it was a “surprisingly low minimum,” insufficient to maintain current services.

“I think if my city only did the legal minimum, we would be only receiving like $40,000 a year,” he said. “We appreciate everybody going above and beyond.”

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