Altamonte Springs commissioners decide to save city library after residents push back

Altamonte Springs commissioners agreed late Thursday to keep the city’s library open after hundreds of residents made it clear they opposed the city’s announcement last week about closing the facility because of budget cuts.

“That’s wonderful,” said resident Mary Ann Steeb, who has regularly visited the library for 30 years. “It’s a little gem within the city of Altamonte [Springs].

“It’s not a huge library. But it’s a community resource. It hurt me when I heard they were going to close it.”

Commissioners were meeting to discuss the millage rate for next fiscal year which starts Oct. 1. Dozens turned out to show their support for keeping the library open.

To save it commissioners voted 4-1 to bump up the city’s property tax rate from the current $3.01 for every $1,000 of taxable value to $4. That would bring an additional $4.35 million in revenue to the city’s general fund, which pays for library operations.

Commissioner Jim Turney, who cast the sole dissenting vote, said last week despite being a “heavy library user” closing it makes financial sense because Seminole County has two larger branch libraries nearby: on North Hunt Club near Apopka and on Oxford Road in Casselberry.

Turney had urged residents to attend commission meetings to express their disapproval of closing the library, which they did, and said “I am open to changing my mind,” which he didn’t.

Scores of residents were unhappy with the city’s July 8 announcement to shutter their beloved library on Maitland Avenue. They said the library is a community facility offering children’s programs and adult workshops. More than 500 people signed an online petition to keep it open.

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“We were very grateful for the support of the library from the people at the meeting,” City Manager Frank Martz said.

In explaining reason for the library’s closure, Martz said it would have been tough to balance the budget without cutting some services because of soaring costs for insurance, utilities, public safety and salaries. The city also will have to replace many of its vehicles next year.

Expenditures in the city’s general fund are estimated to jump nearly 16% next year to $52.5 million compared to $45.3 million in the current budget year, according to city documents.

“We’ve had double-digit [percentage] increases in the cost of electricity, and the cost of insurance because of storm damages, among many other increases this year,” Martz said.

It costs about $460,000 this year to operate the library, according to city officials. Next fiscal year, the cost is estimated to jump to nearly $600,000 because of maintenance and salary increases.

Commissioners will hold two more public hearings in August to discuss the city budget before approving the spending plan in September.

In 1959, retired schoolteacher and avid reader Anne VanAlen Cline decided to put her collection of about 13,000 books to use and started the Altamonte Springs Community Library at the present location. After the city took it over in 1977, the current one-story building on Maitland Avenue just south of State Road 436 was constructed in 1985. It is the only city-owned library in the county.

mcomas@orlandosentinel.com