Thursday March 28th, 2024 11:57AM

Hall Co. Library System faces tough financial decisions

By Alyson Shields
GAINESVILLE - Difficulties with funding continue to plague the Hall County Library System, and HCLS board members have been asked to come up with some options for finding new money or face the possibility of making changes in operating hours.<br /> <br /> At the board meeting Tuesday night Library Director Adrian Mixson told board members when a discussion arose about Christmas bonuses for library staff that that was not an option this year, saying "there's no money."<br /> <br /> In fact, said Mixson, currently there is only $118,000 in the HCLS reserve fund after committing $152,000 from reserve to the operating budget for FY2015. <br /> <br /> "We lost 33-percent of our state money and 33-percent of our county money," Mixson said. "Seventy percent of our funding comes from the county, 25-percent from the state of Georgia, and five percent comes from grants, gifts, Friends of the Library and all that."<br /> <br /> "Funding is a challenge, because funding hasn't changed in the last four years," Mixson said. "We're still operating with the same amount of money we had four years ago. Four years ago, we closed two libraries and laid off 20 people."<br /> <br /> Mixson said he does not want to explore the option of laying off staff, although if the financial situation is dire enough, that could be a possibility.<br /> <br /> Instead, he asked board members to come back to the next meeting in February with some ideas on how to curtail operating hours with the goal of saving money that way.<br /> <br /> The board also discussed the Georgia Public Library Funding Formula and who to contact in hopes of getting more funding next year.<br /> <br /> <bold>EAST HALL BRANCH UNDER RENOVATION</BOLD><br /> <br /> Board members also received an update on the East Hall Branch of HCLS on Old Cornelia Highway, which has been closed for several years. The facility currently is under renovation and will house a health clinic for Hall County government employees in the near future.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
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