Closing the library two days a week. Eliminating staffing at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center. Reducing the number of part-time staff for the city’s softball and baseball program.

During the Albert Lea City Council preagenda workshop Thursday, three department heads within the city government presented their 2010 budgets to the council.

For the Parks and Recreation budget, it included a $320,000 cut; for the Albert Lea Public Library, an almost $60,000 cut; for the Community Development office, a $30,000 cut.

Parks and Recreation

It was a shock, at first, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Hutchison said, to hear about the cut he was asked to make for his department.

“It seemed like a daunting task,” Hutchison said.

He and his staff have met many times, with the goals of continuing to provide the core parks and recreation services without laying off any full-time employees, he said.

The department is suggesting the following cuts:

Recreation: $25,530

This would include reducing the part-time staff for the baseball and softball programs and the number of coaches hired for the Youth First program, he said.

Aquatic Center: $10,595

Reducing the hours of operation to save staffing costs was the main suggestion for this category.

Hutchison said hours were reduced at the pool this year also to save wages, but the pool probably saved more money from the unfavorable weather.

Senior Center: $47,305

Hutchison said the proposal includes reducing the center director’s position to 32 hours per week.

The rent of the center is eliminated with it being paid by the senior citizen’s organization, he said.

City Arena: $54,265

Hutchison said with the new system installed at the arena, the city will be able to reduce its utility costs.

The one-time projects from 2009 will also be eliminated in 2010, and some part-time staff will be reduced.

Marion Ross Performing Arts Center: $42,405

The proposal includes eliminating all staffing of the facility.

Hutchison said the city will send a custodian over there from the arena, and he is working with Albert Lea Community Theatre to see if they want to manage the facility.

The city would pay the utilities and maintenance.

He said he is also trying to set up a meeting between ACT and the Albert Lea Art Center to see if they would be interested in coming together in one building.

Parks: $99,320

Hutchison said the department is proposing not to fill a full-time position that was vacated because of retirement.

The rest of the cut comes from day-to-day maintenance of the city’s park system.

Work may get done slower than in previous years but will get done, he said.

Trees: $21,885

The proposed budget cuts in this category include eliminating most of the professional contracting services and having the city do most of its own takedowns of trees.

There will also be less tree planting, he said.

Lake improvement: $19,000

Most of the expenses in the lake improvement budget will be eliminated, and some of the expenses will be rolled into the park budget, Hutchison said.

This means there will be no lake treatment within the budget, though the city does still have ownership of some of the chemicals needed to do the treatment. It also has the permit and signatures needed for it, if necessary.

Albert Lea Public Library

Library Director Peggy Havener began her presentation by pointing out the successes of the library.

She said when the city made the decision to close the library on Sundays in 2009, it expected to have a total loss of about 14,000 in circulation; however, circulation has only decreased by about 3,000.

The library has seen an almost triple attendance at its summer reading program since 2007, jumping from 1,068 in 2007, to 2,366 in 2008 and 2,806 in 2009.

She said this continued growth can be directly attributed to rising gas prices and the economy.

Computer hours have increased as more companies are using the Internet to post job openings and applications. People who collect unemployment are also accessing their benefits online to make sure they get their check every week.

Despite the increased usage of the library, Havener said the library had to make some tough cuts.

It was asked to cut $58,693 from its budget.

Personnel

The proposed budget makes most of its cuts to personnel, with an about $44,000 cut.

The library is proposed to go from 55 hours of operation to 44 hours of operation.

This will eliminate two 18-hour a week positions and one 25-hour a week position and will reduce the two remaining part-time positions by nine hours each.

Total page hours will also be reduced from 50 hours a week to 27 a week.

This equals a cut in 102 total staff hours.

Hours of operation

With the library going from 55 hours of operation to 44 hours of operation, this means the library could be closed two days a week — on Fridays and Saturdays — Havener said.

The proposal includes being open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed on Fridays and Saturdays, and then open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

She noted the goal was to allow the employees two days off in a row, and Mondays are days when people use the computers the most to apply for unemployment.

She said when she and her staff determined which two days to close, they also considered the families of the staff, most of which are working couples. Being off on Saturdays would allow them time to be with their families.

“This is going to be very hard for my staff, working 10-hour days, waiting on customers for 10 hours,” Havener said. “They already do more than they should. This might be more than they can.”

She said the circulation of the library will fall dramatically because of the changes.

The library is required to meet certain requirements under SELCO, the regional library system, to be eligible for state and federal dollars. These requirements ask for a library to be open at least 40 hours a week.

Programming

Potential programming cuts include cutting at least one storytime, probably the one on Tuesdays, eliminating services to St. Theodore Catholic School, and possibly eliminating the movie day.

Another potential program cut includes the outreach program.

Community Development

Community Development Director Bob Graham said this department was asked to cut $30,000 from its budget.

He said while the budget does include some travel, as the city moves forward in becoming a vitality center, it is limited.

It also has limited professional services budgeted, Albert Lea Mayor Mike Murtaugh pointed out.

The department is a two-person department, and it met the cut it was asked to meet, Graham said.

Much of the previous year’s budgets included money for the revised comprehensive plan.