Talking Points Memo 12/14/2010 Mount Vernon Public Library, Mount Vernon, New York

This is a memo from Mount Vernon Public Library, Mount Vernon, New York

To provide clarity on the library’s present state of affairs:




• A $3,500,000 proposed 2011 library budget, for the year falls short of what is necessary and does not take into account the additional short fall of 2010 (This amount reflects an 11% decrease from the adopted 2010 figure [posted by the City Council] and a 14% decrease from the 2009 allocation). In following procedural steps, to balance the budget, the library will need to cease to provide service at the end of business, December 30, 2010, and close.

• A $4,185,216 library budget for 2011 is required to meet the minimum hours of operation if the library is to remain open to the community. The services lost to the community would translate to much more than the $685,216 it would take to restore the Library’s budget to the 2009 level.



• The minimum number of “open to the public hours”, required by the NYS Education Department; Office of Library Development, to serve our population numbers (25,000-99,999 residents) is 55 hours.


• The library cards of over 26,852 MV card holding patrons will become invalid. MV Residents will have NO access to any library services in Westchester County.


• MV Library is the only library in the system that is at risk for closing.

We are asking: 1) to retain the 2010 budget (see above) and 2) Consider the working efforts and positive results of the library working closely with the city these last three years to turn the library around, 3) forgive the past years of deficit. The library as a not-for-profit and due to low funding has no mea

28 South  First Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10550     Phone: 914 668-1840    Fax 914 668-1018     http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/

In Westchester County, you should go to the City Council meeting in Mount Vernon, New York

, December 14, 2010 at City Hall, One Roosevelt Square, Mount Vernon, New York at 7:00 p.m. .