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The Rockbridge Regional Library has full funding for the current fiscal year after the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors last week agreed to appropriate an additional $33,397 for the library.
The supervisors joined Lexington City Council in stepping forward to fully funding the library’s requests that were made initially back in the spring. Lexington City Council recently appropriated an additional $19,746 to the library.
Julie Goyette, executive director for the Rockbridge Regional Library, approached both the supervisors and City Council recently to reiterate requests she had made for funding. She said cuts would have to be made to services if the additional appropriations were not made.
The library’s requested funding amounts were higher than usual because of a couple of factors. A calculation error had been made in the funding request in fiscal year 2024 that resulted in the request being lower than was needed that year. Also, some library employees made changes to their insurance coverage plans that led to higher costs.
The other two localities that provide funding to the library, Bath County and Buena Vista, fully funded the library’s requests for the current fiscal year.
During the citizens comments portion of the supervisors meeting last week, Bill Russell encouraged the supervisors to fully fund the library’s request. The library, he said, “serves a wonderful purpose.” In additional to all of the material resources it provides, it is “one of the few places people can go to to keep in touch with the community.”
Bob Day made a motion to fully fund the library’s request. The motion passed unanimously, with Dan Lyons commenting that the library be “more up front” in the future with communicating to the supervisors any funding issues that lead to shortfalls.
