The Bradford County Library is again at the center of controversy after the county commissioners proposed slashing its budget by nearly 50% next year.
If approved, the cut would lead to reductions in staff and operating hours.
Commissioner Doug McLinko told library supporters and staff he is “disgusted” by outcry over this and previous cuts, and criticized them for not living within the budget they were given.
Resident Matt Jennings argued that the cuts would only drive more people to seek services — and spend money — outside the county.
The proposal puts BCL in the spotlight once again, a year-and-a-half after commissioners held a secret meeting to close the county library without holding a public vote.
And it caused the meeting to boil over into culture war arguments over the appropriateness of LGBTQ content for children.
The proposal
As part of their $71.8 million proposed county budget for 2025, the commissioners would cut the library’s budget from $471,106 to $243,666, representing 0.33% — less than half of 1% — of the county's overall budget.
The proposal also creates a separate account for the Bookmobile, which would be allocated $45,000.
Under the proposal, the library's hours of operation would be cut from 65 to 47 per week, with staffing reduced from four full-time and three part-time employees to one full-time position and five part-time positions.
“That library did get cut and it needed to get cut,” McLinko said. “But instead of you guys working to make it work … you guys come in here and you want a bloated budget, and you want it the way it is, because you're living fat and happy off the taxpayers.”
According to past budgets available on the county's website, budgeted library funding in recent years has been as follows:
2019: $370,917 (0.43% of $85.1 million)
2020: $390,101 (0.42% of $91.9 million)
2021: $404,065 (0.51% of $78 million)
2022: $434,456 (0.52% of $83.4 million)
2023: $455,765 (0.5% of $82.9 million)
2024: $471,106 (0.65% of $72.5 million)
Resident 'feels lied to'
Controversy over the library's future goes back to Aug. 24, 2023, when the commissioners proposed its closure during a closed-door discussion with library board members.
Some residents at Thursday’s meeting were angered that commissioners had promised to not make significant changes to the library until they hear back from a library consultant. The board told residents they were starting the hiring process for a consultant in December 2023.
It’s been nearly a year.
Resident Cynthia Brown said she feels lied to by her commissioners.
“We were promised to have a library consultant look over the Bradford County Library … You, the commissioners, have stated this over and over again. You were waiting for the library consultant … You should be deeply ashamed of yourself. How can anyone in the public trust you again,” said Brown, a member of the library’s citizens’ group, the Friends of the Bradford County Library.
McLinko said he would like to see the county end all funding for the library, which would be turned into an independent nonprofit.
“I'm more than happy to make a motion to close that library, to restructure that budget and then open it again with new personnel. Let [the library staff] apply for jobs. You guys are not thankful for anything,” said McLinko.
Other departments, he said, have not fought like the library has through social media and lawsuits after facing budget cuts.
Jeffrey Dohrmann, an attorney for library supporters, stated in an emailed press release from Jan. 3, 2024 that a previously filed Sunshine Act lawsuit had been discontinued "because there were no further goals of consequence to be achieved. It was not “withdrawn” as if it never existed, and it was not lost."
Other residents questioned whether the county needs to reduce the library’s finances.
The county sold the Bradford Manor, a nursing home, for $12 million to private company Allaire Health Services last June, according to the board.
Matt Jennings asked the board why they have not used that money to support the library and other departments.
Raised in LeRoy Township and now living in Canton Borough, Jennings said he has seen people move away from Bradford his whole life because “they want to go somewhere where there's things to do … a life to have.”
“Someone goes to a library, then they go to a local restaurant for lunch, as opposed to going up to Elmira (New York) to Barnes and Noble and then stopping by Five Guys … I don't get why we're pinching pennies to send more [to other counties],” Jennings said. “Those pennies are not going to stay in the county. They're going to go to the shareholders of Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Is that really what we want?”
Drag queens and gay penguins
Over the hour-and-a-half of arguing before the meeting took a recess, residents and commissioners alike yelled and fired accusations. McLinko responded to a resident who told him that he was yelling.
“Then don’t take my passion as anger,” said McLinko, before notably lowering his voice.
The meeting was further derailed after a reporter asked about McLinko’s recent appearance on the Average Joe Show, a podcast hosted by Joe Carreon.
McLinko said on the podcast, “I am not anti-library. I’m anti-crap in libraries, I’ll tell you that much. [I] don’t want to see the drag queens and all this other stuff going on in our libraries … I’m also not going to fund nonsense that shouldn’t be done … with our children.”
McLinko defended his statements on the podcast, adding, “Is this the question on gay penguins, is this what you're talking about? ... Is this a meeting where you ask about the gay penguins?”
The ‘gay penguin’ comment refers to a children’s book, And Tango Makes Three, based on the true story of two male penguins at the Central Park zoo who raise a chick together. Opponents claim it is “unsuitable for young children” and promotes homosexuality.
Bradford County Library’s collection was not on the agenda at Thursday's meeting and the board repeatedly said that the proposed budget would not affect the library’s existing collection.
Commissioners plan to vote on their proposed 2025 budget at the next regular meeting on Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. at the Bradford County Courthouse, 301 Main St, Towanda.
The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to start another round of hiring processes to hire a library consultant to review the Bradford County Library’s finances. This is the board’s third request for proposal (RFP) for a consultant, according to the Friends of the Library.
