The Medicine Hat Public Library is asking for a 0.5 per cent increase to its requisition from the City of Medicine Hat in 2023, amounting to about $50,000, to help stabilize staffing levels and expand the role of an onsite social worker who engages homeless patrons using the facility during the day.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City council agreed Monday to increase the size of the public library’s budget allocation, but not until after Coun. Andy McGrogan asked where the province is on helping to address social concerns at the downtown branch.
The Medicine Hat Public Library is a legally separate entity from the city, but receives the largest part of its budget through a municipal grant that totalled $2.26 million in 2023.
During early budget discussions, library chief librarian Ken Feser said a $321,000 increase was needed to boost an onsite social worker from part time to full time, add security guards and improve general staffing levels that were cut during the pandemic.
The request comes after the group asked for 0.5 per cent more in 2023, but $2.6 million in 2024 is a 16.5 per cent increase.
“It obviously stands out … and my question is why we are getting into the social work aspects when the province is more responsible for that sort of thing,” McGrogan said Monday. “I’m worried that if we take on what is traditionally provincial, they’ll let us take everything. We know this particular government is looking to download.
“It’s important work and I’m not suggesting it’s not.”
Feser said many libraries across the province have social workers on staff to direct clients to services in the community, and increasingly lower income residents and those facing homelessness use the library as a hub.
Currently, Medicine Hat Community Housing covers the cost of a half-time position, and funds for another full-time position would stabilize that and add a youth worker.
“It’s a large ask that we’re making, a large part of it is inflationary and we do feel that we need security guards,” Feser said.
“There are high priority areas, and social work is one of them.”
Coun. Darren Hirsch said all departments and disbursements, like the library, were cut in 2019 by resetting costs in an effort to balance the budget.
“We wanted to right-size the expenses at every department in the city … and we still operated in the world, “said Hirsch, stating other departments argue that a return to 2018 budgets was needed.
Councillors approved the overall budget item without items like the library requisition broken out.
The annual update would see property tax revenue rise by 5 per cent, while more investment income and fee revenue would cover an operating budget gap that still sits at $6.2 million.
The plan also folds in about $1 million in already approved city spending for the year ahead. That includes $500,000 as a grant to the regional HALO air rescue society effort and $280,000 for economic development staff.
Among recurring budget items, general wages increased by $700,000 due to a new police contract.
Changes to revenue in the budget also come in the form of $500,000 in additional operating grants from the province, given in part to offset a reduction of grants it pays the city to cover property tax charged on provincially owned buildings.
Among new special projects, $250,000 of operating funds would be used to update the 2006 master plan for the Medicine Hat Regional Airport.
