To: Winnefox Library System Board of Trustees

From: Mark W. Arend, Interim Assistant Director

Re: WCTS grant program

Date: 15 July 2005

Last month the WCTS Executive committee, consisting of representatives of the library directors from each WCTS member county, WCTS Coordinator Cindy Wallace, and myself, met. Among the issues discussed was the amount of funds currently being carried as unallocated reserve—over $80,000. This amount has grown primarily because of unspent funds budgeted for personnel. When I became Assistant Director six months of the Field Services Librarian position’s salary and benefits were not spent. When WCTS Coordinator Pam Brown retired in 2000 we continued to pay her health insurance. Early last year she became eligible for Medicare and the amount budgeted for that was not spent.

John, Rick & I discussed the issue and decided that we did not need to carry this large an unallocated reserve balance and could return about half—or $40,000—to the libraries in the form of a grant program. The WCTS Executive committee is recommending that the funds be distributed to libraries proportionally based on each county’s WCTS support and that each library within the county should receive the same amount. The following table shows each county’s percentage of WCTS support over the past 3 years, the total amount that libraries in each county would receive, and the amount that each library within the county would receive.

County	Percentage of WCTS support	Grant amount	Number of libraries in county	Each Library's share
Green Lake	38%	$ 15,145	5	$ 3,029
Marquette	15%	$ 5,814	6	$ 969
Waushara	48%	$ 19,041	8	$ 2,380
Totals	100%	$ 40,000	19

The Committee is recommending that the grant purpose be undesignated and that libraries be able to use the funds for any special purpose. Examples are collection development, new computers, furniture, or staffing for a special project or program. The Committee does not want the grants used for library operating expenses or to replace lost municipal funding.