"It's a Funding Issue:" Tight Budget The Reason Why Manassas Park May Leave Library System

Manassas Park's decision to possibly stop funding the Prince William Library System is about addressing the city's financial needs, city officials said.

Dean Crowhurst, Manassas Park's interim city manager addressed the Prince William County Library System Board of Trustees on Monday at a special meeting, reassuring them the city wasn't unhappy with library services, but if there's a better way to pay for the libraries then it needs to be done. 

Read here what library officials had to say at the meeting.

Manassas Park City Council members notified the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and library officials in May that Manassas Park intends to leave the library system effective July 2014, a move that would cut off Manassas Park residents' free access to library services. 

The city is one in a trio of jurisdictions that support the system the other two are the City of Manassas and Prince William County. The amount paid is based on each jurisdictions population.

Manassas Park pays about $480,000 annually to the system while Manassas pays about $1.2 million and the county pays about $10.6 million, according to the Prince William County Fiscal Year 2014 adopted budget.

"I'm not trying to create an adversarial situation ... but we are concerned about finances," Crowhurst said in an interview after the meeting. "Right now it's a funding issue; it's hard to make things work with limited sources."

Manassas Park officials have stressed that the decision to leave the system isn't final and that they are open to talks and negotiations. 

Board members pointed out that they still have a year to work out a new agreement before Manassas Park's exit date, but they also realize that year can go by quickly.

Prince William County lawmakers and others will be involved in the talks, because the library system isn't an independent decision-making entity.

If an agreement can't be reached, then Prince William County doesn't have to allow free access to its library for non residents, Angela Lemmon Horan, county attorney for Prince William County told the board of trustees.

“If the two minds can’t meet, then the county is under no obligation to pay for residents of other jurisdictions to use the library,” she said on Monday. 

"A Chance at Success"

Manassas Park resident Kris Day addressed the board of trustees Monday, telling them that she doesn't think its a good idea for the city to leave the system.

There are many low income people who use the library, she said. Library access is an important part of the city’s education; one of the Manassas Park school field trips is to the library to sign up for a library card, Day said.

“Ben Franklin instituted the free library because he knew it would give people a chance at success,” she told the board. “It would reflect badly to have a whole city not have access to a library.”

Library Trustee Ellen Ripper asked Day if she’d plan on presenting her speech to the Manassas Park City Council because the library board agrees with her.

“You’re preaching to the choir,” Ripper said.

Day told the body she hadn't planned to, but she would do it.