Treasure Island weighs making library users pay

As Treasure Island looks for ways to trim city expenses, commissioners have begun scrutinizing a service used by a significant share of the city’s residents: access to Pinellas County’s public libraries.

Treasure Island currently contributes $166,623 annually to Gulf Beaches Public Library. With that agreement set to expire Sept. 30, commissioners are considering whether the city should continue paying its current share, negotiate a cheaper arrangement or shift some or all of the cost directly to residents who use the service.

The consequences of that decision became clearer Tuesday, when Cheryl Morales, executive director of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, appeared before commissioners during the city’s final budget hearing.

In a subsequent interview with the Catalyst, Morales said about 2,700 Treasure Island residents currently have active library privileges. That’s equivalent to roughly four in every 10 residents counted in the city’s 2020 Census population of 6,584.

If Treasure Island stops financially supporting a public library without another agreement in the works, Morales said those privileges would be turned off Oct. 1.

“If you don’t have an agreement in place and you’re not financially supporting a public library in Pinellas County, your residents have no privileges,” Morales said.

The possibility emerged during an Aug. 21 budget workshop as commissioners combed through city expenses looking for savings.

Their discussion centered on the city’s $166,623 contribution and 854 Treasure Island residents with cards issued through Gulf Beaches Public Library. The city’s contribution is currently based on population rather than the number of those cardholders.

Vice Mayor Tammy Vasquez proposed replacing the existing contribution with a system in which the city would reimburse residents who obtain library cards.

Using a hypothetical $75 reimbursement and the 854-card figure, Vasquez estimated Treasure Island could spend about $64,000 annually and save roughly $102,000.

Commissioner Arden Dickey offered another possibility: renegotiating the city’s contribution based on cardholders rather than population. His calculation put Treasure Island’s annual cost at about $55,000, a savings of approximately $111,000.

Commissioner Chris Clark questioned whether the city should pay for residents’ library access at all.

“The people who use the library should have to pay,” Clark said. “I’m never going to go to the library ever, so why do I have to pay money for something that I’m never going to use?”

Dickey pushed back on eliminating the benefit entirely. He said he had recently visited the St. Pete Beach library and found plenty of people using it.

“There are a lot of people that still depend on this library,” Dickey said.

Commissioners did not settle the issue during the workshop and asked staff to examine the city’s agreements and alternatives.

The 854 cards used in those calculations, however, represented only Treasure Island residents whose cards were issued through Gulf Beaches Public Library, Morales said. The city’s actual number of active library users is about 2,700.

Those privileges encompass more than borrowing books. Morales said residents would also lose access to e-books, digital resources and other services available through the cooperative if the city’s participation lapses.

Treasure Island residents would still have an option if the city stopped funding library service, but they would have to pay for it themselves.

Morales said residents could go to any of Pinellas County’s 24 public libraries and purchase an individual card for $100 per year.

“I know $100 is hard for people to come up with,” Morales said.

The city’s relationship with the regional library system is also governed by more than one agreement. Commissioners learned during the August workshop that while the Gulf Beaches agreement expires this month, a separate interlocal agreement extends beyond it and includes provisions governing withdrawal. City officials asked the attorney to review how the agreements interact before a final decision.

For now, commissioners have kept library funding in the city’s budget while officials consider whether Treasure Island can negotiate a less expensive arrangement.

That leaves time to avoid an Oct. 1 interruption in service. Morales said the cooperative would not immediately cut off residents’ privileges if the city is actively trying to reach a new agreement.

“If they’re working on an agreement, certainly we’d give them some leeway,” Morales said.