Bridgeport (CT) Voters Support Library Referendum; Big Boost in Budget
City support will go from $4.8M to $6.9M, though library may be charged for in-kind services
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 11/04/2009
- City may now charge for in-kind services
- Library can now keep up with inflation
- Advocates achieved referendum via obscure law
In a major boost for the long-suffering Bridgeport Public Library, CT, voters yesterday approved a novel referendum that boosts city support from .69 mills, or $4.8 million, to 1 mill, or $6.9 million, which would represent nearly $50 per capita (up from the current $34.50) for a service population of 139,000.
The Connecticut Post noted that the boost may be dimin
ished somewhat, because the city likely would charge for in-kind services like utilities.
Still, as board president Jim O’Donnell previously told LJ, the referendum would restore the library to an inflation-adjusted level after years of decline.
"It would mean six days of service in our neighborhoods,” he said, and enough capital money to replace two storefront branches with full-service libraries. “It also means the possibility of Sunday hours at the main library,” he said, plus more computers and restoring the book budget.
