BEMIDJI — Supporters of the Bemidji Public Library rallied ahead of the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners meetings Tuesday, Nov. 4, weeks after the board set its preliminary budget and levy reducing its funding to libraries by 40%.
While carrying signs or dressed as their favorite books or literary characters, citizens turned out inside the meeting room in support of the Bemidji Public Library, which may be facing a drastic reduction in hours and staff next year due to budget cuts.
Melissa Whatley with the Kitchigami Regional Library System offered the Beltrami County Board an alternative to the budget reductions to Bemidji and Blackduck’s libraries.
“We would like to request and propose a ‘meet me halfway option’ with the Beltrami County Board,” Whatley said.
Kitchigami's proposal includes releasing some of its reserves for offsetting levy requests, in exchange for Beltrami County increasing the budget to the library by $81,000.
The county budgeted nearly $438,000 for Beltrami County’s libraries in the Kitchigami system in 2025, but reduced that to $265,000 for next year, which is considered the “minimum maintenance of effort” to participate in a regional library system.
Regional libraries are required to operate at least 20 hours per week. Since Blackduck’s library only operates 21 hours a week, Whatley said most of the cuts will be felt at the Bemidji branch.
Minnesota’s minimum maintenance of effort levels were first established in 2011, and Whatley noted they haven’t increased since.
“The maintenance of effort amount really does not reflect the increasing cost of library services,” Whatley said.
The preliminary county budget set Sept. 16 also cuts the $7,500 in funding to the Beltrami County History Museum. That cut represents about 10% of the center’s annual operating budget.
But the museum has since secured a private donation to cover the difference. Executive Director Emily Thabes also shared a major grant announcement.
“For the very first time that we have secured private grant funding for the complete redesign of our permanent exhibits,” Thabes said.
The Beltrami County Historical Society is seeking advisory committee members for the project, with interested people encouraged to apply by Nov. 30. The redesign of the museum space is expected to be completed by late 2026, according to a release.
Thabes indicated other Northern Minnesota counties are allocating between $15,000 to $89,000 for their history museums next year.
“So even though we will not be receiving funding from the county next year, we will continue to be open more hours than many of these other historical societies, and we continue to offer more public programming than most of them,” Thabes said.
County Administrator Tom Barry said expected cost shifts from state and federal sources are forcing all departments to make adjustments.
“We're going without police vehicles. We're reducing our staff. We're reducing all of these things as an operation,” Barry said. “The board had made a decision with these budget principles and priorities that we're going to have to constrain our budget to work within our means and focus the limited resources we have on the county.”
Beltrami County will host its annual Truth in Taxation hearing at 6 p.m. Dec. 2, where members of the public can comment on the proposed budget and levy.
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