The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners voted April 3 to accept Wareham's appeal for a waiver on a Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR) for fiscal year 2014, rescinding an earlier denial for the waiver in early March.

This action certifies the library in the State Aid to Public Libraries program, which is for fiscal year 2014.

The Board of Commissioners also took further action that affects FY2015.  In a five to three vote, they passed a motion that places stipulations on Wareham’s FY2015 certification in the State Aid to Public Libraries Program.

The motion includes a stipulation that states that the Board reserves the right not to grant a waiver of the 2015 MAR if the town’s appropriation to the library is not restored to the FY2013 level of $432,835.

Under this motion, the library will also have to meet the hours of operation and the material expenditure requirements set by the Board of Commissioners. They will also review Wareham’s FY2015 State Aid to Public Libraries application at its November meeting to determine compliance, and will vote at its December meeting.

This is an expedited process as the Board of Commissioners usually begins considering Municipal Appropriation Requirement waivers at its January, with the vote normally coming in February.

At the most recent meeting, Wareham Free Library Trustees, Library Director Denise Medeiros, and several members of the Wareham School Committee addressed the MBLC and spoke of the possibility of a Selectmen-backed town override.

With a proposed library budget for FY2015 of $125,000 (the FY2014 budget is $325,637), some said the override is needed to keep the library operational.

The Board of Commissioners raised concern that the proposed override is a general one and does not specifically target the needs of the library.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said during a presentation of the override budget draft that an override would increase the library budget to $200,000.

In addition to a lengthy testimony from Wareham representatives, the Board of Commissioners also received letters of support and emails from Wareham residents.

They debated the question for over an hour. “The letters of support, emails, and the frustration you feel, should be directed at your local officials,” said Board Chair Frank Murphy. “Because whether a library is certified or not, is a direct result of local actions. Here at the Board, we all want the Wareham Free Library to exist and to provide great service and improve over time. Our question is this: what will help Wareham get out of this difficulty?”

Commissioner George Comeau agreed, “Everything you said we feel and we commend the job your Director, Trustees and Friends have been doing. But, you’ve had six consecutive waivers. Either your town supports the library or it doesn’t--for the library to have a place at the table, the most powerful tool we can give you is decertification.”

Commissioners encouraged Wareham to work with local officials and community members. “We do care,” said Commissioner Carol Caro. “Our State Aid staff is here to support you; but, we hope the library uses this time to get the vote out, because this is serious.”

The Board of Commissioners first raised concerns about funding to the Wareham Free Library at their January board meeting. In reviewing MAR waivers, the Board of Commissioners consider several factors including how the library's budget was reduced in comparison to the municipal budget. Libraries that sustain disproportionate reductions greater than 10 percent are required to appear before the Board to outline future plans for the library.

In January, Commissioners noted that although Wareham Free Library's disproportionate reduction was only 6.89 percent, the library's budget had, in fact, sustained a 24.77 percent cut for FY2014. They also noted that over the past several years, the cumulative reduction to the library has resulted in present funding that is more than 50 percent below the MAR and nearly half of the 2007 municipal funding high of $699,109.

Since FY2008, Wareham has needed a MAR waiver each year to participate in the State Aid to Public Libraries Program. In 2009, they received a MAR waiver with reservation. In FY2010, state Sen. Marc Pacheco filed special legislation to certify Wareham after the library was not eligible to apply for the program due to its falling below the accommodated hours open requirement.

During that year's State Aid application cycle, the MBLC also worked with Wareham to maintain certification. Wareham's certification was extended to February 2010 and Commissioners later granted temporary certification through March 2010 so that the library was able to stay certified until the Legislature considered Sen. Pacheco's bill.

For the FY2014 State Aid to Public Libraries Program, 344 communities have been certified. Of those, 272 met all program requirements and 72 received MAR waivers. This is down from the FY2011 high of 123 applicants. Of the FY2014 MAR waiver applicants, 59 received increases in their library budgets, but not enough to meet the MAR.

Overall, applications to the FY2014 State Aid Program indicate that municipal funding to libraries is beginning to rebound; Commissioners determined that the disproportionate reduction threshold of 5 percent should be reinstated for FY2015. The MBLC temporarily increased the threshold to 10 percent in 2010 in an effort to support libraries through the economic downturn.

Funding from the State Aid to Public Libraries Program goes directly to support public library services. The MBLC has made increasing state aid funding a priority in its FY2015 Legislative Agenda. The reciprocal borrowing privilege that comes with library certification in the State Aid program is what many patrons value most. It allows them to use any certified library in the Commonwealth and gives patrons access to more than 37 million items through the shared library system.