ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland City Council said it was pleased with a new budget proposal from the library director that will spare jobs but will result in the facility closing on Sundays.
“This is exactly what we wanted to hear,” Mayor Frank Isganitis said at the conclusion of a budget presentation Wednesday night by library director Amy Levine.
The proposal calls for cuts in some part-time hours, which will eliminate Sunday hours. The plan also includes $52,000 in added revenues from the Rockland Public Library Endowment Association and the Friends of the Rockland Public Library.
This is in sharp contrast to an option that had been considered, which would have reduced all full-time workers — except the director — to part time. The proposal submitted Wednesday by Levine results in about $100,000 less in property taxes needed for the department.
Levine’s proposal also calls for approaching neighboring communities to see whether they will contribute money to cover the costs of library cards for their residents or, if that is not successful, to come up with an increased fee for out-of-town library cards.
Isganitis argued it costs a family of four in Rockland $280 in property taxes for the library, but a family living outside of Rockland pays only $35 for a card. The library director said she also is proposing charging patrons who want the staff to perform family history research.
Councilor Louise MacLellan-Ruf told Levine said she appreciated the director stepping up and doing what she did.
While the library was spared, the same may not be true for the recreation department.
Recreation director Rene Dorr presented a budget to cut $115,000 from the budget, which includes the elimination of his director position. The center also would have reduced hours.
The city also sought proposals from Midcoast Recreation Center in Rockport and the Penobscot Bay YMCA on providing services to the city from the recreation center.
YMCA executive director Troy Curtis said Wednesday the organization would submit a proposal.
“For the Y to be a good community, we want to take part in the conversation,” Curtis said.
The YMCA operates a satellite facility on the Rockland waterfront that includes after-school programs for children.
The Midcoast Recreation Center in Rockport originally expected to submit a proposal but opted not to respond with a submission.
“The MRC will not be submitting a proposal at this time,” executive director Craig Wilson said in an email Thursday. “After serious consideration the MRC Board of Directors decided that, at the current time, this opportunity was not right for the MRC.”