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THUNDER BAY — City officials are keeping mum on the Thunder Bay Public Library’s claim the municipality never delivered over $20 million in funding it included in its own spending plans over the past 15 years.
During a budget meeting this week in which council signalled support for nearly $4 million in increased spending on police, several councillors suggested the answer to the library’s funding shortfall is not for the city to step up with more dollars, but for the library to consider cutting branches. The city’s long-term financial forecast does plan for some increases in future years, showing capital funding to the library rising slightly to $850,000 in 2024, then to $3.8 million in both 2025 and 2026, before returning to $850,000 in subsequent years.
“That capital plan was … accepted by city council, and then incorporated into the city’s long-term capital forecast,” Togman said.City administration declined requests for comment. “It’s something we’re now working with the city manager’s office to correct in terms of the proper process under the Public Libraries Act legislation, where we can go directly to council and properly present our ask, and then it’s up to our elected officials to determine how much money we get, not city administration.”
“We’re kind of deep in the hole now in terms of core needs, and this isn’t including any of the other infrastructure needs, like our IT systems or computer hardware or basic furnishings around the building — you know, replacing 40-year-old carpeting,” he said. “This is simply core infrastructure relating to the physical upkeep of the buildings to make sure they’re safe and properly functioning.”
In defending the library's value, Togman noted the library ranked first among all municipal services in the city's Citizen Satisfaction Report, tied with the fire service with a 94 per cent satisfaction rating.“We really need our elected officials to understand the value the library has for the community, and the way it essentially should be treated and ranked versus other kinds of demands on public infrastructure,” Togman said.
During Wednesday's meeting, one councillor repeated a false claim about the library's budget that previously influenced a vote to cut its funding.
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