The Hammond City Council on Monday denied an $800,000 budget increase for the Hammond Public Library as Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. pledged to approach the Indiana General Assembly to consolidate the library with the Lake County system.
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The City Council's denial means the library will revert to its current budget for next year, which library administrators argued doesn't provide funding for necessary computer upgrades and may lead to more than 20 layoffs.
The library had petitioned the council to increase its budget from $2.8 million to $3.6 million and tax rate from 17 cents to 22 cents per $100 of taxable property for the general fund.
The City Council defeated a motion by Councilman Bob Markovich, D-at large, to set the library's budget at $3 million, a move that Cornell White, the library's financial analyst, said may have covered the computer upgrades.
McDermott said consolidation, which he expects to sell well in the General Assembly, would result in a tax savings for residents.
McDermott said this year the Lake County Public Library had a general fund budget of $13.3 million to operate its 11 branches and a lower tax rate at 8 cents.
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The City Council voted 8-1 to defeat the budget proposal with Councilman Homero “Chico” Hinojosa, D-6th, casting the lone vote in favor of the increase.
State law required the council to take up the budget for the first time this year because the library's board is appointed and it was requesting a budget increase.
