Proposed State Budget to Impact Waukesha Library

In the proposed state budget, there are several changes that could have a strong impact on the present public library system.

Eliminating the maintenance of effort requirement for public libraries is one of these changes. The elimination of the maintenance of effort requirement would allow a city to set the library’s budget without regard to previous years’ level of service.

Additionally, the proposed budget also includes a 10 percent cut in state aid to public library systems, periodical and reference information databases, Newsline for the blind and library service contracts.

According to the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA), all local public libraries receive services as a result of their voluntary membership in one of 17 regional public library systems. Among these services is access to materials that are owned by any library in the region and the ability for residents to use any other libraries in their region, not just the local library that issues their cards.

Currently, state statutes require local libraries to meet several requirements of system membership, including that the local library be funded at a level that is not lower than the average funding for the previous three years. This requirement is commonly referred to as maintenance of effort.

As of yet, the city and library have not determined the impact of the elimination of maintenance of effort combined with other proposed cuts on the Waukesha Public Library. However, the changes are a “concern” for Library Director Jane Ameel.

That concern is “in the context of understanding that these are difficult times and we want to do our share to help the city,” Ameel said. “We do understand that we’re in difficult times here.”

But maintenance of effort is “extremely important in Waukesha and across the state,” she said because it serves to equalize library services.

“Some people think [maintenance of effort] is about maintaining funding but it also prevents communities from taking undue advantage of other libraries while failing to support theirs,” she said.

For example, if a neighboring library makes cuts and its service levels drop, people might find it necessary to go to another library nearby. The unexpected increase in usage would then cause strain on that library’s service levels and, ultimately, its budget.

According to its website, the WLA recommends continued support for maintenance of effort for a number of additional reasons:

• It allows municipalities the flexibility to cut budgets during lean times while still upholding maintenance of effort requirements that allow taxpayers to receive the benefits of participation in a regional library system.
• In comparison with other states, Wisconsin ranks 8th per capita in circulation, but 19th for total operating revenue and 19th for total operating expenditures. Even with maintenance of effort, the average local plus state per capita support for Wisconsin's public libraries is still pennies per day.
• Every municipality that meets the maintenance of effort requirement receives the value of state support through public library systems, which provide services such as interlibrary loan and shared automated systems with neighboring libraries.