Carter's 2022 budget restores St. Paul library cuts

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter on Thursday proposed a 2022 St. Paul Public Library budget that restores positions and operating hours that fell victim to COVID-19 revenue losses last year.

To bring the library system back to full capacity, the city would rely on funding from the federal American Rescue Plan — money that's only available once.

City Council Member Jane Prince, who is chairwoman of the city's library board, said Carter's proposal is "good news, I suppose." But the mayor's use of one-time funding to pay for it, rather than money from the city's general fund, "doesn't make a lot of sense," she said.

"It's bringing all the positions back, but with one-time money," Prince said. "That's kicking the can down the road."

Carter proposed a total library budget of a little more than $18.7 million for 2022, a nearly $408,000 increase over what was spent from the general fund in 2021.

But that budget does not include all the mayor's proposals. Carter is using other funds — including federal Community Development Block Grants and a new Library Services and Technology grant — to fund several positions. The proposed 2022 budget also includes more than $1 million in American Rescue Plan funding to restore other library employees and services reduced in 2021.

The 2021 library budget cut 17 full-time positions compared with the year before. Thanks to 2021 Community Development Block Grants, 4.4 positions were restored, said Peter Leggett, Carter's communications director. The American Rescue Plan money would restore 12.5 positions in 2022, he said.

"Because of the challenges created by the pandemic, my 2021 budget proposal scaled back city services in ways we never would have imagined — including in our libraries," Carter said during a prerecorded, virtual address that ran about five minutes. "While we have work to do to fully emerge from this pandemic, my 2022 library budget proposal restores library hours and staffing to ensure all our neighbors have the access to the libraries they want and need right in their neighborhoods."

Prince was not alone in questioning whether Carter's proposed use of federal pandemic aid is the best approach. In discussions during a City Council meeting Wednesday, several council members questioned a proposal by Carter to use more than $3 million in federal aid on a variety of needs — including repairs to the RiverCentre parking ramp. Council members said they aren't sure a series of small requests is better than putting forward a larger, more comprehensive plan, though they put off making a final decision.

St. Paul has received $83.3 million in American Rescue Plan money — about half of the total aid the city expects from the federal government to cover pandemic-related costs through 2024. Of that, Carter has proposed using $11.3 million in 2021. And, so far, the mayor's office has announced plans to spend $11.7 million in 2022.