Library facility earmarks tossed out of budget

During a public meeting Wednesday morning, one attendee reminded the Flathead County commissioners and dozens of local residents crowded into the meeting room of something former first lady Laura Bush said in regard to public libraries: “I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet to be my library card.”

Another speaker then approached the podium and detailed how one third of all Flathead Valley residents own such a card for ImagineIF Libraries and more than 1,000 people per day file in and out of the system’s three aged and overcrowded facilities.

Following about 30 minutes of public comment, the commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the county’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2020 and the capital improvement plan for 2020 through 2024 — two budgetary documents void of increased funding for the ImagineIF libraries in Bigfork, Kalispell and Columbia Falls.

About $1.9 million will be provided to the libraries, which covers operational costs and employee benefits and is the same allocation as last year’s budget. But what the preliminary budget does not include is an additional $40,000 to $50,000 ImagineIF officials say is necessary in order to open the doors to a new, highly anticipated library in Bigfork.

The county commissioners also made the decision to strike any future funding for library facilities, as well as a community gymnasium, from the county’s capital improvement plan.

A new ImagineIF library for Bigfork had been penciled in at $1.5 million for 2020 in the capital improvement plan, and an additional $1.5 million in 2021 was estimated for the land purchase needed for a new Kalispell ImagineIF library. The plan is a working document that provides a long-term budgetary vision for the county that is evaluated on an annual basis. The items included in the plan, however, are not set in stone.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the commissioners said they received many phone calls and emails both for and against their intentions for the preliminary budget and capital improvement plan. Of those who took to the podium, two offered words of support for the commissioners’ decisions, while the majority were in opposition.

“I thank you for holding the line on the budget,” one attendee said, adding that he is happy the commissioners are working to keep taxes low.

Those who opposed the decision highlighted multiple concerns over the future of the libraries, should the commissioners go through with the decision to remove additional funding and urged them to reconsider.

“ImagineIF is a pillar of the community. We deserve your recognition and your financial support,” one person said.

Many detailed the various economic benefits of public libraries, including how proper facilities boost surrounding property values and attract other businesses to the area.

“You [the commissioners] are missing a terrific opportunity to make a cost-effective investment in economic development,” one person said.

Kim Morisaki, business development director of Montana West Economic Development, detailed how private investors had been looking into potentially putting millions toward building a multi-use facility in the downtown Kalispell quarter. She said the investors were keen on allotting a portion of that building to a new Kalispell ImagineIF library because of the valuable foot traffic it could bring to other businesses in the building.

Morisaki read a letter from one of the investors who said the commissioners’ decision regarding future funding of library facilities made them “take a step back.”

“The strength of the ImagineIF library system as a key downtown neighbor has been an important factor for us in taking an interest in investing in Kalispell,” the letter read.

The preliminary budget currently sits at $98.6 million and is comprised of tax and non-tax dollars. A final version of the budget will be voted on in late August following a public hearing.

According to Commissioner Phil Mitchell, the commissioners go through several meetings with each department regarding their individual budget proposals, and then work capital projects into their departmental budgets. He said the library also must find a way to work capital projects into its budget.

Mitchell also emphasized, prior to Wednesday’s approval of the preliminary budget, that Flathead County is a zero-debt county with the exception of one loan for the construction of the Flathead County 911 Emergency Communications Center.

“We don’t borrow money and I think that’s something to be proud of,” Mitchell said. “We are a very conservative county, we live within our means.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4439 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com