BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Council tabled the 2020 budget after several members of the public called for additional funding for the public library.

Support for the library was strong among attendees, which numbered well over 100 people.

The proposed budget would cut the library by $60,000, which Library Director Penny Kerfien says would result in the loss of three part-time jobs as well as one-full-time job held by a 36-year employee.

Penny said the funding reduction would also force the library to reduce operation hours below the threshold needed to be considered a central library in the North Country Public Library System.

This status allows users at any of the libraries to pick up books at one library and drop them off at another. It allows patrons to request books from other libraries and have them transferred to a closer location. It also provides libraries with a stipend that allows them to purchase materials for patrons to take out.

Kerfien spoke to council members three times during the meeting. She told the council she was “begging” for them to reconsider the cut.

Several members of the public also called on the board to reduce or remove the cut from the proposed budget.

Some shared stories about how the library helped aging parents find a place to escape. Others talked about the safe environment the library provides and how they provide an outlet for children to grow and explore their minds.

Supporters pointed out that libraries provide resources to those who may not have them at home. An anecdote was shared that told of a woman who was able to use the library to earn a degree.

They pointed out that from books to internet access, the library is free to anyone who wishes to attend regardless of income or social standings.

The library has been a target for cuts in recent years. In 2016 the city contributed more than $5oo,000. Last year the city contributed just $300,000 and has proposed reducing that to $240,000 in 2020.

As the City has continued to reduce its funding, the library has sought other income sources. One such source is by taxing residents via the school tax.

In 2017 the library was able to levy $50,000 on school taxpayers. In 2018 they were successful in raising $75,000 in taxes, but this year another $75,000 tax was voted down.

Cheryl Ladouceur, who is a member of the Friends of the Ogdensburg Library, said her organization, essentially a booster club for the public library, had raised more than $14,000 though book fairs, programs and events, but said they still need help from the city to keep the library viable.

Council did not pass the 2020 budget and instead decided to table it until its first December meeting so they could consider the call from the public to restore the library funding in the fiscal plan.