Town Budget Proposal For Fiscal Year 2008-2009
This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA
Overview
Download & View Town Budget Proposal For Fiscal Year 2008-2009 as PDF for free.
More details
- Words: 6,693
- Pages: 21
Darien Library Report to the Board of Representative Town Meeting April 2008
The New Darien Library This year’s budget proposal includes the costs related to the Library’s move into the New Darien Library at 1441 Post Road in December 2008, with a Grand Opening and services to the citizens of Darien beginning in January 2009. The opening of the New Darien Library will represent the culmination of eight years of planning, five years of architectural design, three years of environmental remediation and two years of construction. The new building, with 45,000SF of functional space, will be approximately twice the 22,750SF size of the current Darien Library, which is now more than fifty years old and not capable of providing the service the residents of the Town have requested. Darien Library is the most active library in the state, with the highest combination of visits and circulation per capita. This is the product of a commitment by generations of staff, residents and supporters that has made Darien Library one of the most highly-ranked libraries in the nation, and it is a tribute to a celebrated and successful public-private partnership between the Town of Darien and the Friends of the Darien Library. The $24,000,000 in private funds which have provided the bulk of the funding for the project is the largest fundraising for the construction of a public library. To date more than 1,300 local families have participated. A Note on Process On March 27, 2007, the Library provided to the Board of Finance a projection of the anticipated costs that would result from the transition into the New Darien Library this fiscal year. The budget we present today contains expenditures and staffing lower than what was projected at that meeting. Two years ago, the Library began indicating for the Town of Darien the level of personnel necessary to staff the new building. The actual levels of personnel in the new building are lower than projected, because of ongoing staff reductions that have been made possible by outsourcing, reorganization and an investment in technology by the Friends of the Darien Library.
Darien Library
Page 1
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Budget Summary The Library’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2008-2009 calls for total expenditures of $2,944,275, an increase of $428,184, or 17.0%. $334,649 of the increase represents expenditures related to the New Darien Library, for increased staffing, operating costs for the larger building, and minor non-recurring transition costs. This is a 13.3% increase.1 Continuing costs for personnel and operations increase by $93,536, or 3.7%. Category
Increase
Continuing
New Library
% Budget Increase
Personnel
$292,494
$46,413
$246,081
11.6%
Operating
$69,123
($7,801)
$76,924
2.7%
Town-directed
$66,568
$54,924
$11,644
2.6%
Total
$428,185
$93,536
$334,649
17.0%
% Increase
17.0%
3.7%
13.3%
The major costs of the new building – staffing levels and utilities – have been the subject of intensive planning over the past several years, and we have invested significant amounts of our privately raised funds to assure staffing and operating efficiencies beyond what would normally be expected in a new library building. As a result of this planning, we have been able to assure that a new library with twice the size of the building it is replacing will have costs only 15 to 20% higher. And we have been able to forecast projected costs with considerable accuracy. On March 27, 2007 we projected to the Board of Finance that new building related expenditures would increase by $366,753. This budget represents an increase of $350,649 for those costs.2 At that meeting, we said that we were planning for a net staffing increase of 3.0 FTE; this budget includes a net staffing increase of 2.5 FTE, because we have delayed the initial employment of one new employee until January 2009, as we will be moving into the new building at mid-year, rather than during the fall.
1
$5,000 in one-time expenditure for new building janitorial equipment, and $11,000 in transitory testing expenditures related to the environmental cleanup performed by the Library on the site are being carried by the Board of Finance in the Reserve for Capital and Non-Recurring Expenditures (RFCNRE.) 2 The $350,649 is made up by the $334,649 contained in this budget and the $16,000 allocated to the RFCNRE.
Darien Library
Page 2
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Finally, answering a question at the meeting about what the overall budget might be for this fiscal year, we said we would expect it to be approximately $3,050,000. This budget request of $2,960,275 is 2.7% below that amount.3 Continuing Investments to Reduce Operating Costs Darien Library is an extraordinarily efficient and cost-effective library. This can be seen from a number of objective measures. •
The Connecticut State Library measured the cost to circulate items among state libraries several years ago, and Darien Library was shown to have the least cost of all libraries studied.
•
Library staff is also cost effective, as measured by a comparative index of Staff Salary Costs per Item Circulated for 2006-2007: Staff Salary Costs per Item Circulated 2006-2007
233
100
•
120
138
163
179
257
262
Note that the cost in total staff salaries to circulate an item is 20% more at the next most costeffective library, New Canaan
The following table compares staffing, as measured by FTE4 and circulation statistics among regional libraries for 2006-2007, the latest year for which data is available.
3
$2,960,275 consists of the $2,944,275 included in this budget request and the $16,000 included in the RFCNRE. 4 FTE: Full Time Equivalent, a measure of staffing that accumulates the hours of part time employees into an index. The FTE numbers used in the State of CT report differ from those used by the Darien Library, because all state statistics are converted to the FTE equivalent of 40-hour weeks, to place all respondents on the same basis.
Darien Library
Page 3
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Community
Circulation
FTE Staffing
Circulation per FTE
Greenwich
1,384,239
116.0
11,933
New Canaan
445,854
26.0
17,148
Norwalk
410,612
83.0
4,947
Stamford
888,301
121.0
7,341
Weston
45,282
4.9
9,166
Westport
770,724
46.0
16,737
Wilton
307,286
25.7
11,961
Weighted Average Circulation Per FTE
10,060
Circulation Darien
FTE Staffing
735,339
25.2
29,180
•
The Library staff, as shown above, is approximately three times as productive as the average of libraries in the region, measured by the broadest possible measure – circulation per employee. This is especially noteworthy since Darien Library also provides a rich set of resources to the community not measured in these statistics, and has a national reputation for customer service.
•
Darien Library has consistently invested privately raised funds in technology measures to improve productivity, which can be observed from the trend of circulation per FTE. Annual Circulation Per FTE -- Six Years of Productivity Increases
Note Darien Library’s ability to realize productivity improvements over time, when local libraries have not kept pace in terms of this measure.
Darien Library 21,465
28,417
29,180
25,133
Average of local Average of local liraries
Average of local libraries
11,068
2001-02
Darien Library
24,349
28,574
10,921
10,818
2002-03
2003-04
10,894
2004-05
10,513
10,060
2005-06
2006-07
Page 4
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Initiatives in the New Darien Library to Reduce Operating Costs We have undertaken two major investments to reduce operating cost in the new building. Integrated Materials Handling/RFID System Darien Library is installing the first fully-integrated materials handling/RFID system of any library in New England or the Middle Atlantic states, at a cost of $650,000. Books and other items will be enabled for self-check and automated return, with the items placed automatically by conveyor on carts, ready for return to the shelves. We have carefully planned our staffing and the structure of the Library’s service desks (we will not have circulation desks in the Library, for example) around this initiative, which we have been evaluating for more than five years. As a result, our staffing levels will be 2.0 FTEs lower after the first six months of operation than they otherwise would have been. Standing-column Geothermal Well System The Library is implementing in the new building a geothermal well system which provides cost-effective heating and cooling, at an expense of $622,000. The new system is projected to be 40% less costly than a standard HVAC system, and the new building’s heating and cooling costs are expected to be the same as the current library building’s costs. The Darien Library Staff As noted, Library staff is significantly more productive and cost-effective by objective measurement than the staff in other libraries, while maintaining a national reputation for customer service. The Library’s staffing represents 27.6 FTE positions, comprising about 55 full and part-time employees. Nearly all of these employees are organized on a schedule that is built up, as the first step in the budget development process, in 15 minute increments throughout the workday, week and year, calculated on the basis of public service positions and hours. The Library relentlessly pursues personnel efficiencies, investing in staff development, technology (funded privately by the Friends of the Library), outsourcing (as a primary example, the processing and cataloging of most books and other items) and most importantly, constantly reviewing workflow, procedures, and techniques for the sake of providing better services with greater cost-effectiveness.
Darien Library
Page 5
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Library staff work 37.5 hours per week (and the Library is open 69 hours per week), while most other library staffs and Town Hall employees work 35 hours per week. The extended hours during which the Library is open mean that we must provide 2 FTEs in a weekly schedule for each position at which we provide public services. Notwithstanding their longer day, many Darien Library staff, by tradition, do not take the breaks to which they are entitled during the day, to allow greater time on task. The Library’s reference staff works twice as many desk hours per day as reference staff in other libraries. The combined result of these measures is an extraordinarily productive staff that works at the absolute limit of capacity, and beyond. Note the decline in FTE (primarily among part-time staff) and stability of health contracts over the past four years. Darien Library Staffing (State Report FTEs adjusted) and Health Contracts as of July of the Fiscal Year 35 31.1 30
26.3
31.4
31.4 28.3
27.5
28.2
27.6
25 20 15 15
17
18
19
19
18
19
13
10
The Library has achieved this result in part because the Friends of the Darien Library have invested their privately raised funds in a broad range of technologies to increase staff productivity – such as touch-screens at the circulation desks, aggressive barcode readers, on-line technology that allows patrons to reserve items remotely and learn by email when they are available.
Darien Library
Page 6
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Staffing in the New Darien Library Staffing in the current fiscal year as measured by FTE is 27.6. We have planned staffing in the new building by using as a starting point our already efficient staffing model and by taking account of the investment in productivity measures. As a result, we are planning for staffing in the new building, which will double in size, to increase by approximately 15%. Major positions to be added in the new building are: • • •
Reference Librarian, to support the expanded reference area in the new building, which will cover the upper two floors. Teen Librarian to provide leadership for the teen area of the new building; the current building has no teen service area. First Floor Manager, the person responsible for staffing and services in the innovative “Main Street” central core of the new first floor, with new books, a café, and comfortable seating. The First Floor Manager will join the staff on January 1, 2009, and her time will be reflected for the 20082009 fiscal year as 0.5 FTE
In addition, staffing in the new fiscal year will show the effects of actions taken this year: • •
The Head of Knowledge and Innovation Services will begin her responsibilities on March 1, 2008, and her full-time status next year will show in the new budget as an increase of 0.67 FTE. We expect to bring on staff a Head of Children’s Services at about the same time, and her full-time status will be reflected as an increase of 0.67 FTE in the same way.
The staffing we plan for the new building represents an aggressive reorganization of classic library services to a new model of efficiency, coordination and an innovative use of our most important resource, Darien Library’s highly regarded staff. Only by re-thinking the full range of our services, investing in new technology, outsourcing, and breaking the mold of tradition have we been able to consider staffing a building twice the size of the heavily-used library we are leaving, with a staff that will increase by only 15%. We will close the current building at the beginning of December, and move into the new building during that month, with public services beginning January 2, 2009. The staff reductions that will follow the move into the new building relate
Darien Library
Page 7
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
to part time staff, and they will take place beginning January 1, 2009. As a result, the net increase in staff is partially front-loaded, so the budget effect of the delay in moving into the new building is slightly negative.
Details of the staffing changes are as follow: Major Position Changes in the 2008-2009 Budget FTE 1. Information Services Head, Knowledge and Innovation
0.67
Head, Information Services
-0.37
Reference Librarian Part-time Reference Librarians
Effective 3/1/2008 Effective 12/31/2007
1.00
Effective 7/1/2008
-0.84
Effective 7/1/2008
Net Budget Effect
0.46
2. Reader Services First Floor Manager Reader Services PT Staff
0.50
Effective 1/1/2009
-0.27
Net Budget Effect
Effective 11/30/2008
0.23
3. Teen Services Head of Teen Services
1.00
Effective 7/1/2008
Teen Services PT Staff
0.36
Effective 1/1/2009
Net Budget Effect
1.36
4. Children's Services Head of Children's Services Children's PT Staff
0.67
Effective 3/1/2008
-0.21
Effective 11/30/2008
Net Budget Effect
0.46
Overall Budget Effect
2.51
The increase of 2.5 FTE represents the amount subsumed within the 20082009 fiscal year budget. Some of the staffing effects begin in this current year, and others are lagged into the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Once all the lagged effects are annualized, staffing at the beginning of the 2009-2010 fiscal year will be 30.6 FTE, an increase of 3.0 FTE from the present
Darien Library
Page 8
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
level of 27.6. We anticipate the addition of a net 1.0 FTE in fiscal year 20092010, with a final staffing FTE count relating to the New Darien Library of 31.60 FTE. This would represent an increase in staffing count of 14.5%. Note that the 31.6 FTE staffing count in the new building is almost exactly the same as the staffing FTE count of 31.4 in fiscal year 2004-2005 (see chart on page 6), at the time we began our sustained effort to improve productivity. The financial effects of staffing decisions during the 2008-2009 fiscal year are summarized as below: Summary of Budget Increases Old Building
Continuing
New Building
Darien Library Staffing Decisions Salary Increases New Positions Positions Reduced Net New Positions Reorganization Total Staffing Decisions
$ 41,313
$
41,313
$ 224,379 $ (86,540)
$ $ 137,839 $ 90,755 $
224,379
$
90,755
269,907
FICA related to staffing decisions $ 20,648 Lagged increases from previous year $ 1,939 Total of Staffing Decisions
$ (86,540)
$
22,587
$
292,494
$ $
3,160 1,939
$
(6,620)
$
24,108
$
46,413
$
(93,160)
$
339,241
The net increase in staffing costs of $292,494 is below the projection of an increase of $303,148 we made to the Board of Finance on March 27, 2007, and it represents an aggressive and ground-breaking rethinking of library services to promote better customer support with significantly improved efficiencies. Operating Expenditures in the New Darien Library The operating expenditures of the existing library building at 35 Leroy Avenue are projected to extend until December 31, 2008, and the new building operating expenditures will begin January 1, 2009. We will encounter a number of expense increases solely because of the size of the new building; these include cleaning, grounds, snowplowing and the energy use of new technology. Because of the sophistication of new building systems, we will see an increase in the costs of maintenance, though in some cases this will be delayed until the following fiscal year by the agreements we have made in acquiring the systems.
Darien Library
Page 9
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
And because of our investment in a geothermal well system, we will not experience an increase in the net cost of heating and cooling, as we move into a building twice the size of the one we leave. Major operating costs of the New Darien Library •
Electricity
The new building will employ electricity for heating and cooling, as it will drive the pumps in the geothermal wells, the heat pump temperature exchangers, and building ventilation. We will not require use of fuel oil. The new building is projected to use approximately the same amount of electricity to heat and cool as the existing building. We do anticipate an additional requirement for electricity to provide energy for the additional staff and patron technology in the building, but this increased cost next fiscal year is likely to be somewhat less than the offsetting cost of the fuel oil usage we will forgo. The Town has recently taken action to include the Library in the Town’s cooperative agreement for electricity usage, with the result that the Library’s contract price for electricity will be reduced by approximately 8%. The total budget for electricity and fuel for 2007-2008 is $88,152, and the combined budget for the new 2008-2009 budget, with six months use in both buildings, is $82,949, after giving effect to the cost reduction. At an annual rate for subsequent fiscal years, electricity use in the new building may represent a 10% increase in total energy costs, when technology applications are included.
•
Maintenance We anticipate an increase in our outsourced building cleaning and Service services, from an annual rate of $40,000 ($20,000 for six months) in the existing building to an annual rate of $80,000 Contracts ($40,000 for six months) in the new building; in addition we will incorporate additional custodial services that we had projected as a staffing increase, as an outsourced service, and we will experience increased maintenance and service costs on building systems. The year-to-year increase will be $45,440.
•
Testing, Grounds, Repairs
Darien Library
We are budgeting $17,000 in repairs in the current building during the remaining six months of occupancy; in the new building we anticipate only minor repairs (plumbing) but we will incur costs for environmental testing ($11,000 for six months of mandated follow up on remediation work we have
Page 10
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
done on the site)5 and $2,000 for cleaning out the groundwater retention system we have installed to comply with Town regulations. Subsequent years will show growth in these accounts as full years are budgeted. •
Library Supplies
We anticipate an increase in the use of library supplies of approximately 33% (primarily for toner and paper) and we will draw down our inventory in the current building, then rebuild it in the new building, so our $11,000 increase will include a transition inventory build of $2,000 and increased usage costs of $9,000.
•
Janitor Supplies
We expect our use of janitor supplies to increase by 100% in the new building, representing a six months’ increase of $3,000, and we will purchase equipment with a total cost of $5,000, a non-recurring expense6.
•
Acquisitions Services
This account provides funding for outsourced cataloging and book processing. The new materials handling/RFID system requires a tag in each new item; we will begin this implementation on July 1, and the cost to provide tags for the projected number of items acquired during the year is $9,274.
•
Staff Training
The new operating procedures implemented to reduce staff costs and promote efficiency will require significant amounts of training. We will incur non-recurring costs of $4,500 in anticipation of the move into the new building, and we expect to incur annualized additional staff training costs of $9,000 ($4,500 for the six months after January 1.)
Town-directed Expenditures in the New Darien Library •
Health Insurance
We are budgeting health insurance rates per Town of Darien directive, and are budgeting for an increase of one single contract
•
Retirement
We have budgeted the Town-directed amount for Pension.
•
Fuel
We are budgeting for one-third our average winter use of fuel at Town-directed unit prices.
•
Insurance
For the first six months of the year we are budgeting the rate quoted to the Town. Our rate for insurance will increase when we take occupancy of the new building January 1, 2009.
5 6
This $11,000 amount is budgeted by the Board of Finance in the RFCNRE. The $5,000 of new janitorial equipment is budgeted by the Board of Finance in the RFCNRE.
Darien Library
Page 11
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
The Library’s Central Role in Darien More than eighty-five percent of Darien’s residents hold Library cards; it is the most active public library in Connecticut on a per capita basis, and it is far and away the most efficient library in the state. Darien Library support from the Town is a cost-effective expenditure of public funds, providing a clear example of the most fiscally-sound means to achieve the high level of customer service expected by Darien residents. The Library serves the entire community, offering substantial value for the tax dollars expended on services. For many, the Library is the most used facility in Town. A study published in the October 2006 issue of American Libraries, the official magazine of the American Library Association, ranked Darien Library eighth in the country among libraries its size. (This survey was based on objective statistical measures such as the number of books owned and circulated, the number of visits made by residents, and the cost effectiveness of the Library’s operation; Darien Library has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the survey’s eight years.) Darien Library is a community center; a distribution center for books, magazines, DVDs, videos, books on tape, technology and other materials; a cultural center for programs for all ages; a haven for study and research; a busy technology and continuing education hub; a resource for Town government and many community organizations. Library users want to have the Library open when it is convenient for them to use it – and they ask that the Library provide resources to them even when it is closed. The Community’s Foremost Example of a Public-Private Partnership We remind you that the Library trustees raise all the money the Library spends on books, DVDs, research services, programs and other materials through an annual fund drive. We also pay for all on-going capital expenses from the Friends Fund. (This year we expect to spend approximately $200,000 on capital projects, as part of a total Friends’ expenditure of approximately $950,000.) From this funding has come the investment in productivity measures that has helped make Library employees the most productive in the region, at a considerable savings in labor costs that would have been borne by the taxpayers. This year marks a historic milestone in the role the Friends of the Library has played for many years in Darien. The $28 million project to fund construction of the New Darien Library is the largest gift to the Town by any measure, and stands alone in terms of commitment to the future of the community and its residents.
Darien Library
Page 12
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Beyond the construction of a new library building, the Friends have provided an additional service to the community, by remediating the environmental damage which had been inflicted over many years on the site we purchased for the new building. More than $1,250,000 has been expended solely for this environmental cleanup. Happily for the community, Darien resident and Library Trustee Dot Kelly has worked tirelessly to arrange reimbursement by the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection of the major part of this expenditure, but the Friends of the Darien Library will still incur cleanup costs of between $250,000 and $300,000. Service to the Whole Community The Library collaborates with many Darien organizations to provide services to the community, including partnerships with the Darien Community Association, Darien Public Schools, the Green Team, the League of Women Voters, the Senior Men’s investment group, and the Library hosts many civic forums, including the First Selectwoman’s Night Out, RTM District meetings, Charter revision and flooding hearings. For a number of years the Library has provided catalog services to the Darien Nature Center and to the Darien Historical Society for their collection of books, (and in the case of the Society, of their documents and historical Darien items) so they can be accessed by community residents remotely from the Library or from home. The Library plays a central technology role in the on-line presence of the community, assisting more than 60 community non-profits to maintain their web presences. The library makes available technology to assist non-profits with their activities, for example by lending notebook computers to assist with registration drives, and video projectors to assist in public presentations. The New Darien Library will provide a much greater range of resources to the community – meeting spaces, quiet study areas, accessible collections, services to the young and mature alike – as an extension of its role as the cultural center of Darien. The Darien Library Budget Proposal The major elements of the Library’s budget proposal are outlined below, and we ask that they be considered in the context of three important considerations: •
We ask our employees to work harder, be more productive, and provide better service than any other library, and we do so with the understanding that they
Darien Library
Page 13
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
will be provided the necessary support to match their efforts. In the new building they will be facing a new environment and significant challenges. •
The Friends of the Library have in the past made significant investments to promote productivity and efficiency for Library staff, and they are committed to continue their role in the Public-Private Partnership. This year the Friends’ commitment has taken on a new meaning with the gift of the New Darien Library to the community.
•
The Library’s administration has demonstrated over many years that it will ask only for the resources it needs, and that it can be trusted to manage those resources in an exemplary manner. The planning and design of the new building included significant measures to provide efficiencies beyond what would normally be expected in such a project. A one-time increase in expenditures for the first year of the new building is an appropriate commitment by the Town to its side of a Public-Private partnership that has provided such benefit to the community, and promises so much for the future.
Highlights of increases in this year’s budget request: 1. Salary Budget: ....................................................................... $ 292,494 •
The Library is granting to employees who continue in the same position, salary increases averaging 3.75%, with a budget effect of 3.42% for the fiscal year. Ongoing salary costs will represent additional expenditures of $46,413.
•
The opening of the New Darien Library will result in a net increase of 2.5 FTE and a net staffing cost of $246,081.
2. Darien Library Operating Expenditures: ................................ $69,123 •
Continuing operating expenditures will decrease $7,801.
•
New building operating expenditures will show a net increase of $76,924.
3. Town-directed Expenses:....................................................... $ 66,568 •
Continuing expenditures will show a net increase of $54,924.
•
New building expenses will result in an increase of $11,644.
The Board of Trustees of the Darien Library urges your support of this budget proposal.
Kim Huffard President, Board of Trustees
Darien Library
Page 14
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
A Recurring Side Note on Non-resident Use of the Library As one of the finest libraries in the nation – renowned for its customer service, collection, lending practices and innate friendliness -- it should be expected that Darien Library is visited by some residents of adjoining communities exercising their right under state regulations to use the services to which they are entitled – borrowing books, DVDs and other items, using reference resources, logging on to the Library’s computers. However, it is important to note that non-resident use, which is concentrated in a few areas of the Library’s collection and services – DVDs and Books on CD in particular – has not changed considerably over the past 10 years, and is presently in decline, nearly back down to levels experienced 15 years ago. Most importantly, non-resident use of the Library has an insignificant effect on the Library’s tax-supported budget. Specifically, the only expenditures in the prospective Town budget that can be attributed to non-resident use are approximately $1,000 for paper supplies and $2,040 for RFID tags. The Friends’ budget pays for all books, DVDs, Books on CD and technology – so the additional items acquired for increased circulation are not a Town expense. More importantly, the Library has not increased staff in any way because of nonresident use, and, if all non-resident use went away, would not be able to reduce staffing positions or hours. All Library staffing decisions are based on a system that calculates position requirements from a zero-based model allocating service positions and tasks, not hours. We staff for service positions -- Circulation Desk, Children’s Room, Information Services, and Technology Center – and for tasks -- ordering and processing books, program development and delivery, web page development and update, circulation back office tasks, for example. None of these would change if non-resident use declined or even went away. We staff for service positions and for tasks, and then we automate those tasks (with funds from the Friends’ budget) so that volume increases do not require increased staffing. For example, though circulation has increased by more than 50% in the past six years, we are making fewer, not more, telephone calls to patrons because we have provided upgrades to our ILS that allow computer-generated telephone calls and email notification. We have automated our book ordering so fewer personnel purchase and process more books. The other elements of the Library’s town budget – lighting, heating, telephone, janitorial services, payroll, and all personnel benefits, for example – are not related to the profile of use by non-residents.
Darien Library
Page 15
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Actual 2006-07
Approved 2007-08
Budget 2008-09
$ Increase
% Increase
960,941 201,029 291,315 1,453,285
419,742 998,048 246,873 1,664,663
438,406 1,167,374 328,790 1,934,570
18,664 169,326 81,918 269,907
4.4% 17.0% 33.2% 16.2%
109,264 85,632 208,389 3,307 1,500 408,092
120,628 95,133 248,377 4,046 1,500 469,684
143,215 118,124 287,120 4,555 1,500 554,514
22,587 22,991 38,743 509 84,831
18.7% 24.2% 15.6% 12.6% 0.0% 18.1%
8,453 11,073 67,363 4,528 91,417
7,000 12,152 76,000 3,800 98,952
7,000 5,949 77,000 6,200 96,149
(6,203) 1,000 2,400 (2,803)
0.0% -51.0% 1.3% 63.2% -2.8%
Insurance Testing/Grounds/Repairs Maintenance and Service Audit TOTAL
16,937 40,244 54,087 12,750 124,018
22,455 33,000 95,810 12,750 164,015
32,467 32,000 141,250 13,250 218,967
10,012 (1,000) 45,440 500 54,952
44.6% -3.0% 47.4% 3.9% 33.5%
Library Supplies Janitor Supplies Postage Printing Staff Training Internet Service/Support Job Advertising Acquisitions Services Payroll Service TOTAL
27,085 6,124 9,562 5,238 11,106 15,904 9,375 39,432 11,593 135,419
26,000 6,000 10,000 4,600 11,000 14,966 350 34,850 11,000 118,766
37,000 9,000 10,000 4,600 20,000 15,000 350 44,124 140,074
11,000 3,000 9,000 34 9,274 (11,000) 21,308
42.3% 50.0% 0.0% 0.0% 81.8% 0.2% 0.0% 26.6% -100.0% 17.9%
2,212,231
2,516,090
2,944,275
Administrative Customer Services Support TOTAL Social Security Town Retirement Health Insurance Life Insurance Unemployment Comp. TOTAL Telephone Fuel Electricity Water & Sewage TOTAL
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS
Darien Library
428,184
Page 16
17.0%
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
326-329
April 2008
Salary Budget
Our average salary increase for existing staff is 3.75 % higher than current salaries.
322
Town Retirement
Allocation provided by Town Hall
323
Health Insurance
We are in the Town plan, and have budgeted the rates indicated by the Town. The number of projected plan participants for 2008-2009 is one more than the current year.
325
Unemployment Compensation
Library is self-insured. We are retaining the same budget allocation as last year.
301
Telephone
We will negotiate a new plan with a PRI and additional POTS lines, but expect no substantial change in expense.
302
Fuel
We are budgeting 1,983 gallons, one-third our average annual use over the past twelve years and applying the Town-recommended rate of $3.00 per gallon for # 2 heating oil.
303
Electricity
We are projecting the same level of usage in the new building, plus an additional allocation of 10% for increased technology implementation in the building.
304
Water and Sewer
Projected usage increases of 100%.
305
Insurance
The library is in the town insurance policy and we have budgeted the Town’s current rate for the first half of the year. For the new building, we are using insurance rates provided by the Town’s broker.
306
Repairs, Grounds
Includes snow plowing, grounds maintenance, plumbing, HVAC and electric repairs. See explanation in the body of the report.
307
Equipment Service
Maintenance and vendor support for the Integrated Library System and other costs including equipment contracts for all building equipment together with outsourced janitorial services and contract cleaning.
310
Library Supplies
Planning for 33% increase and small inventory build.
311
Janitor Supplies
Primarily light bulbs, cleaning supplies and paper products for the public restrooms. Expect 100% increase.
Darien Library
Page 17
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
312
Postage
Expect no net change.
315
Staff Training
We are increasing Staff Training allocation to assure implementation of new procedures; $4,500 one-time increase, and $4,500 sustained increase. Staff Training expenditure is approximately 1% of salary levels, and represents an investment in the most productive library staff in the State of CT.
316
Internet Service/Support
Includes charges for broadband access and tech center outside training costs for public programs. We are negotiating with the State of CT CEN for additional broadband access.
319
Cataloguing Service
Outsourced cataloguing services and cataloging supplies. Increase for the application of RFID tags at $0.50 to each item acquired.
320
Payroll Service
The Library’s payroll service will be taken over by the Town of Darien
Darien Library
Page 18
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008 Summary of Budget Increases % of Total Budget Increase
Contribution to Budget Percentage
Old Building
Continuing
One-time Transition
New Building
Darien Library Staffing Decisions Salary Increases New Positions Positions Reduced Net New Positions Reorganization Total Staffing Decisions
$ 41,313
$
41,313
$ 224,379 $ (86,540)
FICA related to staffing decisions Lagged increases from previous year
$ $ 137,839 $ 90,755 $
224,379
$
90,755
269,907
$ 20,648 $ 1,939 $
22,587
$
292,494
$
292,494
Library Supplies Janitor Supplies Maintenance and Service Staff Training Payroll Service Testing/Repairs/Grounds Acquisitions Services Water and Sewage Life Insurance Audit
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
11,000 3,000 45,440 9,000 (11,000) (1,000) 9,274 2,400 509 500
Total of Operating Increases
$
69,123
$
69,123
Total of Staffing Decisions
$ (86,540)
68.3%
11.6%
$ $
3,160 1,939
$
(6,620)
$
-
$
24,108
$
46,413
$
(93,160)
$
-
$
339,241
$
46,413
$ $ $ $
9,000 3,000 43,250 4,500
$246,081
New Darien Library Operating Adjustments
$ $
$ $ 16.1%
2.7%
$
2,000
$
4,500
2,190 (11,000)
$ $ $
(1,000) 9,274 2,400
$
70,424
$
8,494
$
1,000
$
8,353
-
$
17,847
6,500
$
427,512
509 500
$
(7,801)
$
(7,801)
$
-
$
6,500
$76,924
Town of Darien Managed Appropriations Health Insurance Rate Increase New Positions Total Health Insurance Increase Retirement Electricity Fuel Insurance
$ 30,249 $ 8,494
Total of Town Managed Appropriations
Total Budget Increase
Darien Library
$ $ $ $ $ $
38,743 22,991 1,000 (6,203) 10,037
$
66,568
$
66,568
$
428,185
$
428,185
$
30,249
22,991 $
15.5%
100.0%
2.6%
17.0%
$
1,684
$
54,924
$
54,924
$
93,536
$
93,536
$
(6,203) (6,203)
$ $11,644
$
(99,363)
$
$334,649
Page 19
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Darien Library Fact Sheet 2007 Darien Library has been designated a top 10 library for eight years straight in a survey by the Hennen American Public Libraries Ranking Index. In 2006 (the latest available report) it was ranked the eighth highest of all libraries its size in the country. Darien Library is the busiest library in Connecticut on a per capita basis. Darien residents borrow more books on average (28) than any other community. More than 85% of Darien residents have library cards. More than 1,300 people use the Darien Library on an average day. Last year there were 406,999 visits. The Library’s services to the community’s senior citizens are broad-based and significant: o A recent survey showed that inquiries at the reference desk by senior citizens represented approximately 20% of all queries. o Seniors are active users of a number of Library services created with them in mind: one-on-one instruction on computers, large-type books, Dial-a-Book delivery of materials to the homebound, and the Optilec low vision reader. During the past year, there were 19,074 participants in Children’s Library programs, such as Storytime, Born to Read, Sleepytime, Drop-in Storytime, preschool, elementary and Middle School visits and BookMANIA!. Attendance at Adult programs was 7,181. Users cite superior personal service given by the library staff as the primary reason they prefer Darien Library. The library is a model of excellence in the use of new technology and hosts the web pages for 60 local community organizations. The Library’s Blogs are providing both information and entertainment to those members of the community who wish to subscribe to a new form of communication, and have gained national recognition. A study by the CT State Library in 2004 showed Darien Library had the lowest cost per circulation item of all libraries studied.
Darien Library
Page 20
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
THE DARIEN LIBRARY VISION Our vision is to inform, educate, entertain and enrich our community.
THE DARIEN LIBRARY MISSION The Library will provide access to a broad array of content, as well as training
and assistance to help people successfully navigate and use information. The Library will provide a broad array of programs and services to educate,
entertain and enrich people. The Library will be proactive and creative in anticipating and responding to
community needs for resources, programs and services. The Library will be accessible: physically to people during convenient hours
and electronically twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and three hundred and sixty five days a year, and without charge to the individual user. The Library will be the heart of the community, providing flexible and
inviting environments within which to access and enjoy its resources. The Library will be a customer-driven organization with friendly, professional
staff dedicated to creating a positive and fun library experience. The Library will attract, develop and sustain a highly professional staff in an
environment where teamwork, high standards and esprit de corps support excellence. The Library will collaborate with other town agencies and community groups
to serve the needs of the community. The Library will be a public-private partnership, funded annually by a
combination of taxpayer dollars and individual donations sufficient to sustain a library of excellence. The Board of Trustees will obligate itself to continually attract new trustees
who are accomplished individuals with diverse expertise who have the time, interest, and dedication required to support the Library in pursuit of its vision and mission.
Darien Library
Page 21
The New Darien Library This year’s budget proposal includes the costs related to the Library’s move into the New Darien Library at 1441 Post Road in December 2008, with a Grand Opening and services to the citizens of Darien beginning in January 2009. The opening of the New Darien Library will represent the culmination of eight years of planning, five years of architectural design, three years of environmental remediation and two years of construction. The new building, with 45,000SF of functional space, will be approximately twice the 22,750SF size of the current Darien Library, which is now more than fifty years old and not capable of providing the service the residents of the Town have requested. Darien Library is the most active library in the state, with the highest combination of visits and circulation per capita. This is the product of a commitment by generations of staff, residents and supporters that has made Darien Library one of the most highly-ranked libraries in the nation, and it is a tribute to a celebrated and successful public-private partnership between the Town of Darien and the Friends of the Darien Library. The $24,000,000 in private funds which have provided the bulk of the funding for the project is the largest fundraising for the construction of a public library. To date more than 1,300 local families have participated. A Note on Process On March 27, 2007, the Library provided to the Board of Finance a projection of the anticipated costs that would result from the transition into the New Darien Library this fiscal year. The budget we present today contains expenditures and staffing lower than what was projected at that meeting. Two years ago, the Library began indicating for the Town of Darien the level of personnel necessary to staff the new building. The actual levels of personnel in the new building are lower than projected, because of ongoing staff reductions that have been made possible by outsourcing, reorganization and an investment in technology by the Friends of the Darien Library.
Darien Library
Page 1
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Budget Summary The Library’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2008-2009 calls for total expenditures of $2,944,275, an increase of $428,184, or 17.0%. $334,649 of the increase represents expenditures related to the New Darien Library, for increased staffing, operating costs for the larger building, and minor non-recurring transition costs. This is a 13.3% increase.1 Continuing costs for personnel and operations increase by $93,536, or 3.7%. Category
Increase
Continuing
New Library
% Budget Increase
Personnel
$292,494
$46,413
$246,081
11.6%
Operating
$69,123
($7,801)
$76,924
2.7%
Town-directed
$66,568
$54,924
$11,644
2.6%
Total
$428,185
$93,536
$334,649
17.0%
% Increase
17.0%
3.7%
13.3%
The major costs of the new building – staffing levels and utilities – have been the subject of intensive planning over the past several years, and we have invested significant amounts of our privately raised funds to assure staffing and operating efficiencies beyond what would normally be expected in a new library building. As a result of this planning, we have been able to assure that a new library with twice the size of the building it is replacing will have costs only 15 to 20% higher. And we have been able to forecast projected costs with considerable accuracy. On March 27, 2007 we projected to the Board of Finance that new building related expenditures would increase by $366,753. This budget represents an increase of $350,649 for those costs.2 At that meeting, we said that we were planning for a net staffing increase of 3.0 FTE; this budget includes a net staffing increase of 2.5 FTE, because we have delayed the initial employment of one new employee until January 2009, as we will be moving into the new building at mid-year, rather than during the fall.
1
$5,000 in one-time expenditure for new building janitorial equipment, and $11,000 in transitory testing expenditures related to the environmental cleanup performed by the Library on the site are being carried by the Board of Finance in the Reserve for Capital and Non-Recurring Expenditures (RFCNRE.) 2 The $350,649 is made up by the $334,649 contained in this budget and the $16,000 allocated to the RFCNRE.
Darien Library
Page 2
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Finally, answering a question at the meeting about what the overall budget might be for this fiscal year, we said we would expect it to be approximately $3,050,000. This budget request of $2,960,275 is 2.7% below that amount.3 Continuing Investments to Reduce Operating Costs Darien Library is an extraordinarily efficient and cost-effective library. This can be seen from a number of objective measures. •
The Connecticut State Library measured the cost to circulate items among state libraries several years ago, and Darien Library was shown to have the least cost of all libraries studied.
•
Library staff is also cost effective, as measured by a comparative index of Staff Salary Costs per Item Circulated for 2006-2007: Staff Salary Costs per Item Circulated 2006-2007
233
100
•
120
138
163
179
257
262
Note that the cost in total staff salaries to circulate an item is 20% more at the next most costeffective library, New Canaan
The following table compares staffing, as measured by FTE4 and circulation statistics among regional libraries for 2006-2007, the latest year for which data is available.
3
$2,960,275 consists of the $2,944,275 included in this budget request and the $16,000 included in the RFCNRE. 4 FTE: Full Time Equivalent, a measure of staffing that accumulates the hours of part time employees into an index. The FTE numbers used in the State of CT report differ from those used by the Darien Library, because all state statistics are converted to the FTE equivalent of 40-hour weeks, to place all respondents on the same basis.
Darien Library
Page 3
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Community
Circulation
FTE Staffing
Circulation per FTE
Greenwich
1,384,239
116.0
11,933
New Canaan
445,854
26.0
17,148
Norwalk
410,612
83.0
4,947
Stamford
888,301
121.0
7,341
Weston
45,282
4.9
9,166
Westport
770,724
46.0
16,737
Wilton
307,286
25.7
11,961
Weighted Average Circulation Per FTE
10,060
Circulation Darien
FTE Staffing
735,339
25.2
29,180
•
The Library staff, as shown above, is approximately three times as productive as the average of libraries in the region, measured by the broadest possible measure – circulation per employee. This is especially noteworthy since Darien Library also provides a rich set of resources to the community not measured in these statistics, and has a national reputation for customer service.
•
Darien Library has consistently invested privately raised funds in technology measures to improve productivity, which can be observed from the trend of circulation per FTE. Annual Circulation Per FTE -- Six Years of Productivity Increases
Note Darien Library’s ability to realize productivity improvements over time, when local libraries have not kept pace in terms of this measure.
Darien Library 21,465
28,417
29,180
25,133
Average of local Average of local liraries
Average of local libraries
11,068
2001-02
Darien Library
24,349
28,574
10,921
10,818
2002-03
2003-04
10,894
2004-05
10,513
10,060
2005-06
2006-07
Page 4
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Initiatives in the New Darien Library to Reduce Operating Costs We have undertaken two major investments to reduce operating cost in the new building. Integrated Materials Handling/RFID System Darien Library is installing the first fully-integrated materials handling/RFID system of any library in New England or the Middle Atlantic states, at a cost of $650,000. Books and other items will be enabled for self-check and automated return, with the items placed automatically by conveyor on carts, ready for return to the shelves. We have carefully planned our staffing and the structure of the Library’s service desks (we will not have circulation desks in the Library, for example) around this initiative, which we have been evaluating for more than five years. As a result, our staffing levels will be 2.0 FTEs lower after the first six months of operation than they otherwise would have been. Standing-column Geothermal Well System The Library is implementing in the new building a geothermal well system which provides cost-effective heating and cooling, at an expense of $622,000. The new system is projected to be 40% less costly than a standard HVAC system, and the new building’s heating and cooling costs are expected to be the same as the current library building’s costs. The Darien Library Staff As noted, Library staff is significantly more productive and cost-effective by objective measurement than the staff in other libraries, while maintaining a national reputation for customer service. The Library’s staffing represents 27.6 FTE positions, comprising about 55 full and part-time employees. Nearly all of these employees are organized on a schedule that is built up, as the first step in the budget development process, in 15 minute increments throughout the workday, week and year, calculated on the basis of public service positions and hours. The Library relentlessly pursues personnel efficiencies, investing in staff development, technology (funded privately by the Friends of the Library), outsourcing (as a primary example, the processing and cataloging of most books and other items) and most importantly, constantly reviewing workflow, procedures, and techniques for the sake of providing better services with greater cost-effectiveness.
Darien Library
Page 5
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Library staff work 37.5 hours per week (and the Library is open 69 hours per week), while most other library staffs and Town Hall employees work 35 hours per week. The extended hours during which the Library is open mean that we must provide 2 FTEs in a weekly schedule for each position at which we provide public services. Notwithstanding their longer day, many Darien Library staff, by tradition, do not take the breaks to which they are entitled during the day, to allow greater time on task. The Library’s reference staff works twice as many desk hours per day as reference staff in other libraries. The combined result of these measures is an extraordinarily productive staff that works at the absolute limit of capacity, and beyond. Note the decline in FTE (primarily among part-time staff) and stability of health contracts over the past four years. Darien Library Staffing (State Report FTEs adjusted) and Health Contracts as of July of the Fiscal Year 35 31.1 30
26.3
31.4
31.4 28.3
27.5
28.2
27.6
25 20 15 15
17
18
19
19
18
19
13
10
The Library has achieved this result in part because the Friends of the Darien Library have invested their privately raised funds in a broad range of technologies to increase staff productivity – such as touch-screens at the circulation desks, aggressive barcode readers, on-line technology that allows patrons to reserve items remotely and learn by email when they are available.
Darien Library
Page 6
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Staffing in the New Darien Library Staffing in the current fiscal year as measured by FTE is 27.6. We have planned staffing in the new building by using as a starting point our already efficient staffing model and by taking account of the investment in productivity measures. As a result, we are planning for staffing in the new building, which will double in size, to increase by approximately 15%. Major positions to be added in the new building are: • • •
Reference Librarian, to support the expanded reference area in the new building, which will cover the upper two floors. Teen Librarian to provide leadership for the teen area of the new building; the current building has no teen service area. First Floor Manager, the person responsible for staffing and services in the innovative “Main Street” central core of the new first floor, with new books, a café, and comfortable seating. The First Floor Manager will join the staff on January 1, 2009, and her time will be reflected for the 20082009 fiscal year as 0.5 FTE
In addition, staffing in the new fiscal year will show the effects of actions taken this year: • •
The Head of Knowledge and Innovation Services will begin her responsibilities on March 1, 2008, and her full-time status next year will show in the new budget as an increase of 0.67 FTE. We expect to bring on staff a Head of Children’s Services at about the same time, and her full-time status will be reflected as an increase of 0.67 FTE in the same way.
The staffing we plan for the new building represents an aggressive reorganization of classic library services to a new model of efficiency, coordination and an innovative use of our most important resource, Darien Library’s highly regarded staff. Only by re-thinking the full range of our services, investing in new technology, outsourcing, and breaking the mold of tradition have we been able to consider staffing a building twice the size of the heavily-used library we are leaving, with a staff that will increase by only 15%. We will close the current building at the beginning of December, and move into the new building during that month, with public services beginning January 2, 2009. The staff reductions that will follow the move into the new building relate
Darien Library
Page 7
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
to part time staff, and they will take place beginning January 1, 2009. As a result, the net increase in staff is partially front-loaded, so the budget effect of the delay in moving into the new building is slightly negative.
Details of the staffing changes are as follow: Major Position Changes in the 2008-2009 Budget FTE 1. Information Services Head, Knowledge and Innovation
0.67
Head, Information Services
-0.37
Reference Librarian Part-time Reference Librarians
Effective 3/1/2008 Effective 12/31/2007
1.00
Effective 7/1/2008
-0.84
Effective 7/1/2008
Net Budget Effect
0.46
2. Reader Services First Floor Manager Reader Services PT Staff
0.50
Effective 1/1/2009
-0.27
Net Budget Effect
Effective 11/30/2008
0.23
3. Teen Services Head of Teen Services
1.00
Effective 7/1/2008
Teen Services PT Staff
0.36
Effective 1/1/2009
Net Budget Effect
1.36
4. Children's Services Head of Children's Services Children's PT Staff
0.67
Effective 3/1/2008
-0.21
Effective 11/30/2008
Net Budget Effect
0.46
Overall Budget Effect
2.51
The increase of 2.5 FTE represents the amount subsumed within the 20082009 fiscal year budget. Some of the staffing effects begin in this current year, and others are lagged into the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Once all the lagged effects are annualized, staffing at the beginning of the 2009-2010 fiscal year will be 30.6 FTE, an increase of 3.0 FTE from the present
Darien Library
Page 8
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
level of 27.6. We anticipate the addition of a net 1.0 FTE in fiscal year 20092010, with a final staffing FTE count relating to the New Darien Library of 31.60 FTE. This would represent an increase in staffing count of 14.5%. Note that the 31.6 FTE staffing count in the new building is almost exactly the same as the staffing FTE count of 31.4 in fiscal year 2004-2005 (see chart on page 6), at the time we began our sustained effort to improve productivity. The financial effects of staffing decisions during the 2008-2009 fiscal year are summarized as below: Summary of Budget Increases Old Building
Continuing
New Building
Darien Library Staffing Decisions Salary Increases New Positions Positions Reduced Net New Positions Reorganization Total Staffing Decisions
$ 41,313
$
41,313
$ 224,379 $ (86,540)
$ $ 137,839 $ 90,755 $
224,379
$
90,755
269,907
FICA related to staffing decisions $ 20,648 Lagged increases from previous year $ 1,939 Total of Staffing Decisions
$ (86,540)
$
22,587
$
292,494
$ $
3,160 1,939
$
(6,620)
$
24,108
$
46,413
$
(93,160)
$
339,241
The net increase in staffing costs of $292,494 is below the projection of an increase of $303,148 we made to the Board of Finance on March 27, 2007, and it represents an aggressive and ground-breaking rethinking of library services to promote better customer support with significantly improved efficiencies. Operating Expenditures in the New Darien Library The operating expenditures of the existing library building at 35 Leroy Avenue are projected to extend until December 31, 2008, and the new building operating expenditures will begin January 1, 2009. We will encounter a number of expense increases solely because of the size of the new building; these include cleaning, grounds, snowplowing and the energy use of new technology. Because of the sophistication of new building systems, we will see an increase in the costs of maintenance, though in some cases this will be delayed until the following fiscal year by the agreements we have made in acquiring the systems.
Darien Library
Page 9
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
And because of our investment in a geothermal well system, we will not experience an increase in the net cost of heating and cooling, as we move into a building twice the size of the one we leave. Major operating costs of the New Darien Library •
Electricity
The new building will employ electricity for heating and cooling, as it will drive the pumps in the geothermal wells, the heat pump temperature exchangers, and building ventilation. We will not require use of fuel oil. The new building is projected to use approximately the same amount of electricity to heat and cool as the existing building. We do anticipate an additional requirement for electricity to provide energy for the additional staff and patron technology in the building, but this increased cost next fiscal year is likely to be somewhat less than the offsetting cost of the fuel oil usage we will forgo. The Town has recently taken action to include the Library in the Town’s cooperative agreement for electricity usage, with the result that the Library’s contract price for electricity will be reduced by approximately 8%. The total budget for electricity and fuel for 2007-2008 is $88,152, and the combined budget for the new 2008-2009 budget, with six months use in both buildings, is $82,949, after giving effect to the cost reduction. At an annual rate for subsequent fiscal years, electricity use in the new building may represent a 10% increase in total energy costs, when technology applications are included.
•
Maintenance We anticipate an increase in our outsourced building cleaning and Service services, from an annual rate of $40,000 ($20,000 for six months) in the existing building to an annual rate of $80,000 Contracts ($40,000 for six months) in the new building; in addition we will incorporate additional custodial services that we had projected as a staffing increase, as an outsourced service, and we will experience increased maintenance and service costs on building systems. The year-to-year increase will be $45,440.
•
Testing, Grounds, Repairs
Darien Library
We are budgeting $17,000 in repairs in the current building during the remaining six months of occupancy; in the new building we anticipate only minor repairs (plumbing) but we will incur costs for environmental testing ($11,000 for six months of mandated follow up on remediation work we have
Page 10
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
done on the site)5 and $2,000 for cleaning out the groundwater retention system we have installed to comply with Town regulations. Subsequent years will show growth in these accounts as full years are budgeted. •
Library Supplies
We anticipate an increase in the use of library supplies of approximately 33% (primarily for toner and paper) and we will draw down our inventory in the current building, then rebuild it in the new building, so our $11,000 increase will include a transition inventory build of $2,000 and increased usage costs of $9,000.
•
Janitor Supplies
We expect our use of janitor supplies to increase by 100% in the new building, representing a six months’ increase of $3,000, and we will purchase equipment with a total cost of $5,000, a non-recurring expense6.
•
Acquisitions Services
This account provides funding for outsourced cataloging and book processing. The new materials handling/RFID system requires a tag in each new item; we will begin this implementation on July 1, and the cost to provide tags for the projected number of items acquired during the year is $9,274.
•
Staff Training
The new operating procedures implemented to reduce staff costs and promote efficiency will require significant amounts of training. We will incur non-recurring costs of $4,500 in anticipation of the move into the new building, and we expect to incur annualized additional staff training costs of $9,000 ($4,500 for the six months after January 1.)
Town-directed Expenditures in the New Darien Library •
Health Insurance
We are budgeting health insurance rates per Town of Darien directive, and are budgeting for an increase of one single contract
•
Retirement
We have budgeted the Town-directed amount for Pension.
•
Fuel
We are budgeting for one-third our average winter use of fuel at Town-directed unit prices.
•
Insurance
For the first six months of the year we are budgeting the rate quoted to the Town. Our rate for insurance will increase when we take occupancy of the new building January 1, 2009.
5 6
This $11,000 amount is budgeted by the Board of Finance in the RFCNRE. The $5,000 of new janitorial equipment is budgeted by the Board of Finance in the RFCNRE.
Darien Library
Page 11
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
The Library’s Central Role in Darien More than eighty-five percent of Darien’s residents hold Library cards; it is the most active public library in Connecticut on a per capita basis, and it is far and away the most efficient library in the state. Darien Library support from the Town is a cost-effective expenditure of public funds, providing a clear example of the most fiscally-sound means to achieve the high level of customer service expected by Darien residents. The Library serves the entire community, offering substantial value for the tax dollars expended on services. For many, the Library is the most used facility in Town. A study published in the October 2006 issue of American Libraries, the official magazine of the American Library Association, ranked Darien Library eighth in the country among libraries its size. (This survey was based on objective statistical measures such as the number of books owned and circulated, the number of visits made by residents, and the cost effectiveness of the Library’s operation; Darien Library has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the survey’s eight years.) Darien Library is a community center; a distribution center for books, magazines, DVDs, videos, books on tape, technology and other materials; a cultural center for programs for all ages; a haven for study and research; a busy technology and continuing education hub; a resource for Town government and many community organizations. Library users want to have the Library open when it is convenient for them to use it – and they ask that the Library provide resources to them even when it is closed. The Community’s Foremost Example of a Public-Private Partnership We remind you that the Library trustees raise all the money the Library spends on books, DVDs, research services, programs and other materials through an annual fund drive. We also pay for all on-going capital expenses from the Friends Fund. (This year we expect to spend approximately $200,000 on capital projects, as part of a total Friends’ expenditure of approximately $950,000.) From this funding has come the investment in productivity measures that has helped make Library employees the most productive in the region, at a considerable savings in labor costs that would have been borne by the taxpayers. This year marks a historic milestone in the role the Friends of the Library has played for many years in Darien. The $28 million project to fund construction of the New Darien Library is the largest gift to the Town by any measure, and stands alone in terms of commitment to the future of the community and its residents.
Darien Library
Page 12
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Beyond the construction of a new library building, the Friends have provided an additional service to the community, by remediating the environmental damage which had been inflicted over many years on the site we purchased for the new building. More than $1,250,000 has been expended solely for this environmental cleanup. Happily for the community, Darien resident and Library Trustee Dot Kelly has worked tirelessly to arrange reimbursement by the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection of the major part of this expenditure, but the Friends of the Darien Library will still incur cleanup costs of between $250,000 and $300,000. Service to the Whole Community The Library collaborates with many Darien organizations to provide services to the community, including partnerships with the Darien Community Association, Darien Public Schools, the Green Team, the League of Women Voters, the Senior Men’s investment group, and the Library hosts many civic forums, including the First Selectwoman’s Night Out, RTM District meetings, Charter revision and flooding hearings. For a number of years the Library has provided catalog services to the Darien Nature Center and to the Darien Historical Society for their collection of books, (and in the case of the Society, of their documents and historical Darien items) so they can be accessed by community residents remotely from the Library or from home. The Library plays a central technology role in the on-line presence of the community, assisting more than 60 community non-profits to maintain their web presences. The library makes available technology to assist non-profits with their activities, for example by lending notebook computers to assist with registration drives, and video projectors to assist in public presentations. The New Darien Library will provide a much greater range of resources to the community – meeting spaces, quiet study areas, accessible collections, services to the young and mature alike – as an extension of its role as the cultural center of Darien. The Darien Library Budget Proposal The major elements of the Library’s budget proposal are outlined below, and we ask that they be considered in the context of three important considerations: •
We ask our employees to work harder, be more productive, and provide better service than any other library, and we do so with the understanding that they
Darien Library
Page 13
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
will be provided the necessary support to match their efforts. In the new building they will be facing a new environment and significant challenges. •
The Friends of the Library have in the past made significant investments to promote productivity and efficiency for Library staff, and they are committed to continue their role in the Public-Private Partnership. This year the Friends’ commitment has taken on a new meaning with the gift of the New Darien Library to the community.
•
The Library’s administration has demonstrated over many years that it will ask only for the resources it needs, and that it can be trusted to manage those resources in an exemplary manner. The planning and design of the new building included significant measures to provide efficiencies beyond what would normally be expected in such a project. A one-time increase in expenditures for the first year of the new building is an appropriate commitment by the Town to its side of a Public-Private partnership that has provided such benefit to the community, and promises so much for the future.
Highlights of increases in this year’s budget request: 1. Salary Budget: ....................................................................... $ 292,494 •
The Library is granting to employees who continue in the same position, salary increases averaging 3.75%, with a budget effect of 3.42% for the fiscal year. Ongoing salary costs will represent additional expenditures of $46,413.
•
The opening of the New Darien Library will result in a net increase of 2.5 FTE and a net staffing cost of $246,081.
2. Darien Library Operating Expenditures: ................................ $69,123 •
Continuing operating expenditures will decrease $7,801.
•
New building operating expenditures will show a net increase of $76,924.
3. Town-directed Expenses:....................................................... $ 66,568 •
Continuing expenditures will show a net increase of $54,924.
•
New building expenses will result in an increase of $11,644.
The Board of Trustees of the Darien Library urges your support of this budget proposal.
Kim Huffard President, Board of Trustees
Darien Library
Page 14
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
A Recurring Side Note on Non-resident Use of the Library As one of the finest libraries in the nation – renowned for its customer service, collection, lending practices and innate friendliness -- it should be expected that Darien Library is visited by some residents of adjoining communities exercising their right under state regulations to use the services to which they are entitled – borrowing books, DVDs and other items, using reference resources, logging on to the Library’s computers. However, it is important to note that non-resident use, which is concentrated in a few areas of the Library’s collection and services – DVDs and Books on CD in particular – has not changed considerably over the past 10 years, and is presently in decline, nearly back down to levels experienced 15 years ago. Most importantly, non-resident use of the Library has an insignificant effect on the Library’s tax-supported budget. Specifically, the only expenditures in the prospective Town budget that can be attributed to non-resident use are approximately $1,000 for paper supplies and $2,040 for RFID tags. The Friends’ budget pays for all books, DVDs, Books on CD and technology – so the additional items acquired for increased circulation are not a Town expense. More importantly, the Library has not increased staff in any way because of nonresident use, and, if all non-resident use went away, would not be able to reduce staffing positions or hours. All Library staffing decisions are based on a system that calculates position requirements from a zero-based model allocating service positions and tasks, not hours. We staff for service positions -- Circulation Desk, Children’s Room, Information Services, and Technology Center – and for tasks -- ordering and processing books, program development and delivery, web page development and update, circulation back office tasks, for example. None of these would change if non-resident use declined or even went away. We staff for service positions and for tasks, and then we automate those tasks (with funds from the Friends’ budget) so that volume increases do not require increased staffing. For example, though circulation has increased by more than 50% in the past six years, we are making fewer, not more, telephone calls to patrons because we have provided upgrades to our ILS that allow computer-generated telephone calls and email notification. We have automated our book ordering so fewer personnel purchase and process more books. The other elements of the Library’s town budget – lighting, heating, telephone, janitorial services, payroll, and all personnel benefits, for example – are not related to the profile of use by non-residents.
Darien Library
Page 15
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Actual 2006-07
Approved 2007-08
Budget 2008-09
$ Increase
% Increase
960,941 201,029 291,315 1,453,285
419,742 998,048 246,873 1,664,663
438,406 1,167,374 328,790 1,934,570
18,664 169,326 81,918 269,907
4.4% 17.0% 33.2% 16.2%
109,264 85,632 208,389 3,307 1,500 408,092
120,628 95,133 248,377 4,046 1,500 469,684
143,215 118,124 287,120 4,555 1,500 554,514
22,587 22,991 38,743 509 84,831
18.7% 24.2% 15.6% 12.6% 0.0% 18.1%
8,453 11,073 67,363 4,528 91,417
7,000 12,152 76,000 3,800 98,952
7,000 5,949 77,000 6,200 96,149
(6,203) 1,000 2,400 (2,803)
0.0% -51.0% 1.3% 63.2% -2.8%
Insurance Testing/Grounds/Repairs Maintenance and Service Audit TOTAL
16,937 40,244 54,087 12,750 124,018
22,455 33,000 95,810 12,750 164,015
32,467 32,000 141,250 13,250 218,967
10,012 (1,000) 45,440 500 54,952
44.6% -3.0% 47.4% 3.9% 33.5%
Library Supplies Janitor Supplies Postage Printing Staff Training Internet Service/Support Job Advertising Acquisitions Services Payroll Service TOTAL
27,085 6,124 9,562 5,238 11,106 15,904 9,375 39,432 11,593 135,419
26,000 6,000 10,000 4,600 11,000 14,966 350 34,850 11,000 118,766
37,000 9,000 10,000 4,600 20,000 15,000 350 44,124 140,074
11,000 3,000 9,000 34 9,274 (11,000) 21,308
42.3% 50.0% 0.0% 0.0% 81.8% 0.2% 0.0% 26.6% -100.0% 17.9%
2,212,231
2,516,090
2,944,275
Administrative Customer Services Support TOTAL Social Security Town Retirement Health Insurance Life Insurance Unemployment Comp. TOTAL Telephone Fuel Electricity Water & Sewage TOTAL
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS
Darien Library
428,184
Page 16
17.0%
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
326-329
April 2008
Salary Budget
Our average salary increase for existing staff is 3.75 % higher than current salaries.
322
Town Retirement
Allocation provided by Town Hall
323
Health Insurance
We are in the Town plan, and have budgeted the rates indicated by the Town. The number of projected plan participants for 2008-2009 is one more than the current year.
325
Unemployment Compensation
Library is self-insured. We are retaining the same budget allocation as last year.
301
Telephone
We will negotiate a new plan with a PRI and additional POTS lines, but expect no substantial change in expense.
302
Fuel
We are budgeting 1,983 gallons, one-third our average annual use over the past twelve years and applying the Town-recommended rate of $3.00 per gallon for # 2 heating oil.
303
Electricity
We are projecting the same level of usage in the new building, plus an additional allocation of 10% for increased technology implementation in the building.
304
Water and Sewer
Projected usage increases of 100%.
305
Insurance
The library is in the town insurance policy and we have budgeted the Town’s current rate for the first half of the year. For the new building, we are using insurance rates provided by the Town’s broker.
306
Repairs, Grounds
Includes snow plowing, grounds maintenance, plumbing, HVAC and electric repairs. See explanation in the body of the report.
307
Equipment Service
Maintenance and vendor support for the Integrated Library System and other costs including equipment contracts for all building equipment together with outsourced janitorial services and contract cleaning.
310
Library Supplies
Planning for 33% increase and small inventory build.
311
Janitor Supplies
Primarily light bulbs, cleaning supplies and paper products for the public restrooms. Expect 100% increase.
Darien Library
Page 17
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
312
Postage
Expect no net change.
315
Staff Training
We are increasing Staff Training allocation to assure implementation of new procedures; $4,500 one-time increase, and $4,500 sustained increase. Staff Training expenditure is approximately 1% of salary levels, and represents an investment in the most productive library staff in the State of CT.
316
Internet Service/Support
Includes charges for broadband access and tech center outside training costs for public programs. We are negotiating with the State of CT CEN for additional broadband access.
319
Cataloguing Service
Outsourced cataloguing services and cataloging supplies. Increase for the application of RFID tags at $0.50 to each item acquired.
320
Payroll Service
The Library’s payroll service will be taken over by the Town of Darien
Darien Library
Page 18
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008 Summary of Budget Increases % of Total Budget Increase
Contribution to Budget Percentage
Old Building
Continuing
One-time Transition
New Building
Darien Library Staffing Decisions Salary Increases New Positions Positions Reduced Net New Positions Reorganization Total Staffing Decisions
$ 41,313
$
41,313
$ 224,379 $ (86,540)
FICA related to staffing decisions Lagged increases from previous year
$ $ 137,839 $ 90,755 $
224,379
$
90,755
269,907
$ 20,648 $ 1,939 $
22,587
$
292,494
$
292,494
Library Supplies Janitor Supplies Maintenance and Service Staff Training Payroll Service Testing/Repairs/Grounds Acquisitions Services Water and Sewage Life Insurance Audit
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
11,000 3,000 45,440 9,000 (11,000) (1,000) 9,274 2,400 509 500
Total of Operating Increases
$
69,123
$
69,123
Total of Staffing Decisions
$ (86,540)
68.3%
11.6%
$ $
3,160 1,939
$
(6,620)
$
-
$
24,108
$
46,413
$
(93,160)
$
-
$
339,241
$
46,413
$ $ $ $
9,000 3,000 43,250 4,500
$246,081
New Darien Library Operating Adjustments
$ $
$ $ 16.1%
2.7%
$
2,000
$
4,500
2,190 (11,000)
$ $ $
(1,000) 9,274 2,400
$
70,424
$
8,494
$
1,000
$
8,353
-
$
17,847
6,500
$
427,512
509 500
$
(7,801)
$
(7,801)
$
-
$
6,500
$76,924
Town of Darien Managed Appropriations Health Insurance Rate Increase New Positions Total Health Insurance Increase Retirement Electricity Fuel Insurance
$ 30,249 $ 8,494
Total of Town Managed Appropriations
Total Budget Increase
Darien Library
$ $ $ $ $ $
38,743 22,991 1,000 (6,203) 10,037
$
66,568
$
66,568
$
428,185
$
428,185
$
30,249
22,991 $
15.5%
100.0%
2.6%
17.0%
$
1,684
$
54,924
$
54,924
$
93,536
$
93,536
$
(6,203) (6,203)
$ $11,644
$
(99,363)
$
$334,649
Page 19
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
Darien Library Fact Sheet 2007 Darien Library has been designated a top 10 library for eight years straight in a survey by the Hennen American Public Libraries Ranking Index. In 2006 (the latest available report) it was ranked the eighth highest of all libraries its size in the country. Darien Library is the busiest library in Connecticut on a per capita basis. Darien residents borrow more books on average (28) than any other community. More than 85% of Darien residents have library cards. More than 1,300 people use the Darien Library on an average day. Last year there were 406,999 visits. The Library’s services to the community’s senior citizens are broad-based and significant: o A recent survey showed that inquiries at the reference desk by senior citizens represented approximately 20% of all queries. o Seniors are active users of a number of Library services created with them in mind: one-on-one instruction on computers, large-type books, Dial-a-Book delivery of materials to the homebound, and the Optilec low vision reader. During the past year, there were 19,074 participants in Children’s Library programs, such as Storytime, Born to Read, Sleepytime, Drop-in Storytime, preschool, elementary and Middle School visits and BookMANIA!. Attendance at Adult programs was 7,181. Users cite superior personal service given by the library staff as the primary reason they prefer Darien Library. The library is a model of excellence in the use of new technology and hosts the web pages for 60 local community organizations. The Library’s Blogs are providing both information and entertainment to those members of the community who wish to subscribe to a new form of communication, and have gained national recognition. A study by the CT State Library in 2004 showed Darien Library had the lowest cost per circulation item of all libraries studied.
Darien Library
Page 20
Report to the Representative Town Meeting
April 2008
THE DARIEN LIBRARY VISION Our vision is to inform, educate, entertain and enrich our community.
THE DARIEN LIBRARY MISSION The Library will provide access to a broad array of content, as well as training
and assistance to help people successfully navigate and use information. The Library will provide a broad array of programs and services to educate,
entertain and enrich people. The Library will be proactive and creative in anticipating and responding to
community needs for resources, programs and services. The Library will be accessible: physically to people during convenient hours
and electronically twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and three hundred and sixty five days a year, and without charge to the individual user. The Library will be the heart of the community, providing flexible and
inviting environments within which to access and enjoy its resources. The Library will be a customer-driven organization with friendly, professional
staff dedicated to creating a positive and fun library experience. The Library will attract, develop and sustain a highly professional staff in an
environment where teamwork, high standards and esprit de corps support excellence. The Library will collaborate with other town agencies and community groups
to serve the needs of the community. The Library will be a public-private partnership, funded annually by a
combination of taxpayer dollars and individual donations sufficient to sustain a library of excellence. The Board of Trustees will obligate itself to continually attract new trustees
who are accomplished individuals with diverse expertise who have the time, interest, and dedication required to support the Library in pursuit of its vision and mission.
Darien Library
Page 21
Related Documents
Town Budget Proposal For Fiscal Year 2009-2010
June 2020 5
Town Budget Proposal For Fiscal Year 2008-2009
October 2019 12
Adopted Budget Fiscal Year 2008-09
May 2020 10
Budget Proposal
November 2019 16More Documents from ""
Town Buys Library Land
October 2019 25
Storm Water Management
October 2019 19
Darien Library Sustainable Features
May 2020 14
New Building Update
October 2019 14
Selectmen Want To Buy Darien Library Property For $4.1 Million
October 2019 16