Officials Checking Strapped Library System’s Books

City and county officials will meet today to discuss the results of a study examining the future of the county’s financially troubled library system.

The 27-branch system, which has seen its annual budget slashed from $27 million to $20 million in the last four years, could face another $5 million in cutbacks by the end of the decade.

Such a scenario, officials said, would require significant reductions in library hours and materials purchasing.

The final draft of the study, prepared by David M. Griffith & Associates, will be released today at a meeting of the League of California Cities in Costa Mesa.

A preliminary draft obtained last month states that the library system could reduce operating costs by $1.7 million a year by breaking away from county administration. Some city leaders have suggested forming an independent authority.

The preliminary report also said that having cities operate branches independently within their boundaries or breaking up the system into several districts would not be cost effective. Keeping the system intact, the report concluded, would be more efficient.

Furthermore, the consultant said that future cutbacks could be avoided if the annual property tax assessment paid by residents for the library were increased by $8 to $10.

Residents of cities that belong to the county system now pay about $14 a year for library service. That compares to more than $50 paid annually for residents in Newport Beach’s independent library district.