Heights Libraries Cutting $2 Million From Budget

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — The Heights Libraries will cut $2 million from its budget in the second half of fiscal year 2020. More than half the cuts will come from salary and benefits reductions.

The Heights Libraries 2020 budget is $11,585,412. The library system will have hit the half-way point of budget spending on June 1.

The library system will cut $1.2 million from salaries and benefits, including a 10-percent salary cut for all full-time management staff and a 14-percent salary cut for Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin. The remaining $800,000 will come from cuts in four areas: materials, purchased services (like staff training), land and building improvements and supplies.

“The library is anticipating severe funding cuts in the near future,” said Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin. “Ohio’s Public Library Fund has been reduced by roughly 35 percent, and we are expecting property tax collection to fall sharply. The majority of our funding, over 80 percent, comes from these two sources.”

The Heights Libraries have 146 employees. Of those, four have retired, three have voluntarily exited and 48 have been furloughed. Of the other staff, 65 have had their hours cut by 50 percent.

Furloughed employees who are on the library system's health, vision and dental insurance plans will remain covered. Life insurance and the employee assistance program provided by the Heights Libraries will continue coverage of all employees.

“It is our hope that furloughed employees will be called back to work in the coming months, as we are able to expand our services,” said Levin. “But our goal is to prepare for the worst. We just don’t know what the future will hold.”