By PAULENE POPARAD

Apparently spending $2,741,566 next year for library services is just fine with Westchester Township residents.

No one commented Thursday during a public hearing on Westchester Public Library’s proposed 2007 budget.

The library wants to raise $1,975,563 through property taxes compared to $1,883,282 this year. There would be an additional $224,300 raised to help fund the separate $260,705 capital projects fund, which already has been approved.

The full operating-fund amounts sought likely won’t be approved, said WPL director Phil Baugher. The budget is calculated on a 4.9 percent increase but state tax officials have indicated a 4 percent hike over this year’s budget is more likely.

The 2007 budget includes $1.2 million for salaries; $367,500 for books, periodicals, newspapers, and audio-visual materials; and a $871,066 transfer to the non-reverting Library Improvement Reserve Fund. A 2006 transfer to LIRF is planned in December.

The WPL budget is based on a net assessed valuation of $1.68 billion. The spending plan proposes having the same facilities, same hours and same number of staff as this year.

The Library Board will conduct a special meeting Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at Thomas Library for a second budget hearing and adoption of the 2007 spending plan. WPL currently has $3,533,397 in all funds with $2.89 million in investments.

A second public hearing was conducted Thursday on the library’s Internet Acceptable Use policy, which was reviewed and approved 4-0 with members John Corso, Vern Odom and Karen Nash absent. The policy stipulates that suspicion of illegal Internet activities at the library, like accessing another user’s private files or using their password, is grounds for suspension of the Internet user’s privileges; proof of wrongdoing will result in a termination of privileges.

Three technical matters were approved to maintain the library’s eligibility to receive funding through a technology grant program and the Public Library Internet Consortium, both to help pay for WPL’s Internet access. Baugher said there are so many hoops to jump through to receive the money, some libraries are rejecting the dollars.

In other business, the quote from Miller’s Sealcoating of Valparaiso for $5,715 was accepted to seal and stripe the Thomas, Hageman Library and Library Service Center parking lots. Baugher said a second company quoted $8,601 for the same work.

Approved was the hiring of Jessica Esteviz as an assistant in the Reference Department. The Library Board also approved sending up to three employees to a Children’s and Young Persons Conference of the Indiana Library Federation next month in Lafayette. Member Sharon Robbins supported the trip saying, “There just aren’t enough things for young adults.”

Baugher reported circulation for July was up 11 percent over 2005 and circulation year-to-date is up 17 percent. Adult/juvenile fiction both remain strong as is the circulation of periodicals. The biggest jump --- over 500 percent --- is for DVDs.

Last month 35,603 materials were circulated at Thomas; 1,214 at Hageman and a total 230,802 items year-to-date. WPL also charts its activity as public service units each time a patron is served including circulation, program attendance, computer use and reference questions. This year 540,377 such units have been logged, in part 98,726 of them WPL web page visits representing a 63 percent increase over 2005.

The library’s Westchester Township History Museum, now located in the Brown Mansion, generated 9,728 public service units so far this year with 6,740 of them museum visits.

Baugher advised the board that 663 children, 48 more than last year, completed the recent summer reading program. Tonight at dusk will be the final WPL-sponsored family film in Thomas Park preceded by a concert. The library plans to begin another series of monthly family films later this year.

Posted 8/11/2006