Two local organizations presented their draft budgets to Madawaska Valley Council on May 6 before Council considered the MV budget. First up was Madawaska Valley Public Library (MVPL) with CEO Karen Filipkowski and Library Board Chair Frances Mawson. (Shown above) Next came the Barry’s Bay Business Improvement Area (BIA) with Chairman Derek Yuill and Treasurer Neil O’Reilly, accompanied by Secretary Valerie Manion.
Madawaska Valley Public Library budget
Filipkowski explained how the Province’s recent 50 percent cut to the Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) impacts MVPL.
- She said the Library will not be able to provide the same level of print and visual materials that it has for the past thirty years. The space is small so it can only pack so much onto the shelves. Interlibrary loans helped fill these gaps.
- MVPL’s book budget has been reduced to accommodate other cutbacks and budgetary restraints over the past eight years in Ontario. Again, interlibrary loans filled the gaps.
- Interlibrary loans have supported five local book clubs by making book sets available to them. This made joining a book club affordable for all. MVPL will not be able to do this any longer.
- The vans that shipped interlibrary loans also shipped rotating collections such as large print books (very popular with an aging population) and DVDs. In order for MVPL to continue participating in these programs it will now need budgets for shipping these collections which rotate every three to four months.
Mawson said the book clubs were an important part of community life, especially during winter. She said that individual book orders would also suffer. Filipkowski said that MVPL’s book club had always been well attended so a part of the community’s social life will cease.
Because the cuts were announced without warning part way through the fiscal year, Filipkowski said she has had to go through this year’s budget line-by-line to shave off smaller amounts wherever possible to find the $1300 to $1500 amount MVPL had intended to use for interlibrary loans. In future years the collections budget (buying books) will suffer because it is the only flexible item in the Library budget.
Mayor Love said rural municipalities would continue to fight for their libraries.
Barry’s Bay BIA budget
From left: Barry’s Bay BIA Neil O’Reilly, Derek Yuill, Valerie Manion (at rear)
The BIA budget provided financial details about on-going beautification in the village of Barry’s Bay and the annual Bay Day celebration. New initiatives for 2019 include lighting. O’Reilly explained that although paid for by the BIA levy, the beautification items were assets of the municipality. He said the BIA looks forward to strengthening its partnership with the Township. The BIA presented a schedule of responsibilities relating to joint projects and asked for continued support from MV for watering, etc. as in previous years.
Council approved both Library and BIA budgets as presented.
