The Whitecourt Library might be a casualty of the ongoing negotiations between the Town of Whitecourt and Woodlands County over a new intermunicipal collaboration framework.
At the Town of Whitecourt’s May 24, 2022 meeting, representatives of the Whitecourt and District Library Board were on hand to deliver the bad news.
The Library is facing a deficit of $131,000. If action is not taken, then starting Aug. 1, 2022, the only way the library can remain open, according to Library officials, is if they operate as though they are still under COVID-19 restrictions. That is, close the library to the public, have only one or two staff members on hand, and people order their books online.
According to the Library, they are in this situation because Woodlands County has not given any money to the library since 2021.
As the Library Board explained, in 2021, they were in negotiations with Woodlands County for a five year agreement. This would have given the library consistent funding. The Library and the County were close to signing a deal, but the Library had an objection to some wording.
The wording of the deal implied that, as long as the Library was receiving funding from the County, the Library was prohibited from applying for grants. Since the Library also depends on grants from all levels of government, the Library asked that the wording be removed.
The Library made their request at around the same time that Woodlands County and the Town of Whitecourt went to arbitration over their intermunicipal collaboration framework (ICF). Ever since then, the County has denied the Library’s requests for a meeting over the Library’s funding.
According to the Library, the only answer they can get out of the County is the County is waiting for the ICF to be settled before resuming negotiations.
The arbitrator handed down their ruling over the ICF in spring 2022. The County has since appealed the ruling, and the case is now before the courts.
The Library’s ask of Whitecourt Town council was for any help they could offer. Specifically, in the arbitrator’s ruling, the arbitrator gave the County and the Library 120 days to come to a settlement. If not, the arbitrator could get involved. The Library was asking the Town to reach out to the arbitrator with this new information to get them involved.
Town Councillor Paul Chauvet called the situation disheartening.
“It used to be $70,000 they used to give, and then they just decided to reduce it to $50,000 just because, and now they are reneging on that,” said Chauvet. “Their own residents use the facility, and they are not contributing to it.”
The conversation caused Whitecourt Mayor Tom Pickard to raise the question of provincial funding. The Town gets a grant from the Province for library funding, which they then give to the Library Board. Pickard asked if Woodlands County also gets that provincial grant.
Administration said they most likely do. The Library Board then chimed in, saying the Province does not dictate to the municipalities which libraries get the funding. So Woodlands County is giving all of their provincial funding to their libraries in Blue Ridge and Fort Assiniboine.
Councillor Derek Schlosser also did not agree with the arrangement.
“It sounds to me like Woodlands County residents who live around Whitecourt are getting into the Whitecourt Library for free,” said Schlosser.
The Library Board said the one way they could recoup some money from Woodlands County residents is to charge them extra for their programming, such as the summer reading programs. But the Library will not, as it runs counter to the Library’s mandate, and it is not worth the extra administrative expense.
Councillor Bill McAree did not mince words.
“I am just disgusted. Enough is enough. Why should the people of Whitecourt suffer because Woodlands County does not support their own community?” said McAree.
Town council voted to send a letter to Woodlands County, urging the County to do something. Town council also put it on the agenda for the next Joint Liaison Committee meeting with the County.
When the Library Board reminded Town council of getting the arbitrator involved, and that the 120 day window ends at the end of May, Pickard said they will do that if their efforts with the County fail. Pickard was confident that the arbitrator would allow an extension.
Pickard took a moment to thank the Library Board for their hard work in this difficult situation.
“Let there be no mistake that we recognize the passion and the dedication of the Library Board members, who are volunteers in our community, who have been placed in this very difficult and tenuous siltation,” said Pickard.
