Library board defers cuts to branch hours until November
Posted October 18, 2011 10:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The library board has reviewed the Toronto Public Library’s 2012 operating budget, and voted for 100 fewer full-time positions, and deferred deciding whether to cut branch hours and collections until next month.
Staff at the Toronto Public Library proposed slashing jobs and service reductions to comply with Mayor Rob Ford’s order to trim next year’s budget by 10 per cent or $17 million to $157.5 million.
The board voted on Monday evening to cut 100 positions, which would save $9.7 million or 5.7 per cent of the budget. But it postponed deciding whether to reduce hours at 59 of 98 branches that could save $7.3 million or 4.3 per cent until Nov. 21.
A public consultation about the impact of the potential reductions in branch hours and collections would be made in the meantime.
The workforce reduction would be achieved through attrition and buyout offers, Toronto Public Library spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins told CityNews.
On Tuesday morning, the budget committee approved a request by the chief librarian to offer a voluntary separation program for employees, similar to the one offered to other city workers in the summer.
The cost will depend on the number of people who apply and are approved for the package. It could cost as much as $4.8 million and save as much as $5.6 million in the budget if 75 employees take it, for example.
