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Letter: Library’s MOU with Town Must Outline Sustainability Plan
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Did you know you were already a donor to the library? I certainly didn’t until recently. My naïveté even extended to the fact that our library is owned and operated independent of the town, by a not-for-profit foundation. Despite not being owned/operated by the town, New Canaan taxpayers currently pay 75% of the operating costs of the library as per a longstanding agreement between the town and this independent foundation. In addition to covering costs, library employees get town healthcare and until recently a town pension. Since 1996, the taxpayers of New Canaan have given the independent non for profit that owns and operates the library in excess of $40 million. In 1996, the taxpayer’s annual contribution was $1.13 million and as of 2019, that contribution has increased to $2.6 million, not counting heath care expenses. Over the past four years, this non-profit’s costs have grown 5% on average and since 1996, the library’s annual operating expenditure per capita has increased 186%. What is equally troubling, is that costs continue to grow despite a decline number of registered borrowers, data show. As per this foundation’s own public records, the total number of library visits has declined to 213,000 in 2019 from 365,000 people in 1996 yet the population of New Canaan continues to grow. You might say, well with a new library, this will reverse the trend. Darien’s recent experience is illuminating.