MEMORANDUM

DEC 13 1975

Mayor and Council December 10th, 1976.

Alderman J.J. Keryluk

Re: 1977 F.V.R.L. Operating Budget

You will have noticed from the attached material that the library tax assessment
has gone up from 1.453 Mills in 1976 to 1.7899 Mills proposed for 1977. Based

on the 1976 General Assessment in Port Coquitlam of $63,473,495., Port Coquitlam's
share of the F.V.R.L. Budget is $113,611. or $4.77 per capita.

Council is aware that our library service has been quite inadequate for several
years and we were, in fact, subsidizing library service in other areas of the
Valley.. With the opening of the new facility of 8,400 square feet, early in

the new year, we will not only provide for a much improved service but will,for
the first time in many years, be getting a fair return on our investment. Based
on present estimates, our present staff of 8 (1 full-time, 7 part-time) would be
increased to 15, of which 2 would be full-time. Barring drastic cuts by the
Board in January, an Area Children's Librarian will be based in Port Coquitlam,
Another full-time Reference Librarian will be based in the Whalley Reference
Centre to better serve Port Coquitlam enquiries. Our book supply will increase’:
from.our present 10,000 to 30,000 in the new facility.

Some members of Council may feel that the library costs a lot of money and I would
respectfully point out that services to the community do indeed cost money. As an
example, we are presently paying $36.94 per capita for the maintenance of our. |
sports facilities plus $24.54 for programmes for a total of $61.48 per capita.

The library serves 6,000 users with a monthly circulation in excess of 15,000
volumes, both of which will increase dramatically in the new facility. The total
cost,including building rental and all maintenance is $7.63 per capita or the .-
price of one new book annually.

I would strongly urge Council to support the proposed F.V.R.L. Budget. for 1977.

JIK/w
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