The Jake Epp Library board is asking the City of Steinbach to provide more funding as it works to restore public services and deal with operational challenges, including staffing shortages and safety concerns.
At a recent Strategic Priorities Committee meeting, the board and Library Director Aubrey Walker outlined a number of growing needs. These include overdue technology upgrades, new cleaning equipment, AED replacement, worn-out furniture, and improved lighting in the library’s parking lot. Staff capacity was also raised as a major issue, with calls for more support to help the team manage increased demand and rising expectations.
City support requested for service restoration and increased hours
Walker and the board are asking council to re-evaluate the current rental agreement and increase the annual operating grant. They are also hoping to reopen the library on Fridays and Saturdays, resume full programming, and bring wages in line with inflation.
“We did increase funding by $50,000 and then we froze it for four years. We see that that plan doesn’t work,” said Mayor Earl Funk. “It works on paper, but when you put it into the real world… it’s not working.”
City Councillor Jac Siemens previously reported that the City currently provides $389,000 annually to the library, including $140,000 to cover rent.
The library board has presented a proposed balanced budget for 2026 of just over $824,000, with staffing making up more than half of that total. They are asking the City to provide an operating grant of $572,884.85. Council will review the request during its summer grant deliberations.
Addressing safety and supporting staff
Walker shared that her staff often serve patrons facing complex social and mental health challenges. In one recent case, a patron passed a note to library staff indicating they were feeling suicidal. Staff immediately offered support and connected the individual with help.
“We were able to work through that with her and get her some help,” said Walker. “She came back to volunteer later when she was feeling better… It was just a wonderful time to be able to build that relationship with her.”
This is not the first time staff have supported someone experiencing a mental health crisis. It has happened often enough that library staff have easy access to a binder filled with various mental health supports. Walker says staff act as a connecting point, directing people to appropriate resources.
She added that while many people assume library staff only check books in and out, their responsibilities go far beyond that.
“They are wearing a million hats at any given time,” she said.
Mayor Funk acknowledged the emotional demands on library staff and emphasized the need for a safe work environment.
“Employee safety is very important,” said Funk. “Much of that safety is a budget item and we’ll have to be looking at that during our study session.”
Library raises fees, retools operations in response to shortfall
In an effort to cut costs and raise revenue, the library has restructured staff roles, raised prices across the board, and introduced branded merchandise. Membership fees for non-residents have also gone up.
Council members said they appreciated the board’s openness to further increasing non-resident fees, especially given the number of library users from outside Steinbach.
“I appreciate the wonderful library staff and all they are doing to make the library accessible to as many people as possible,” said Councillor Susan Penner. “However, the reality is that 40% of books that are signed out are by non-residents, and although they pay a small membership fee, it doesn’t not come close to what it costs the library to serve them. That is something that needs to be examined before we determine how much to increase their grant by.”
Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra also emphasized the financial imbalance of serving so many non-residents.
“We don’t want Steinbach taxpayers having to subsidize people from outside of Steinbach to make use of our library,” he said. “If people who are not in Steinbach are going to make use of the library, then they need to contribute an appropriate amount.”
Zwaagstra added that ideally, nearby rural municipalities would enter into financial partnerships with the City to help support the library’s operations.
Optimism despite challenges
Library Board Chair Carolyn Graham said she was encouraged by the level of attention councillors gave to the library’s presentation.
“It was obvious that they had done their homework,” she said. “They did more than read it, they understood it.”
Despite the challenges ahead, Graham said the board is confident in the leadership of Director Aubrey Walker and her team, and committed to the process of strengthening the library.
“We want to work closely with Aubrey and Alyssa, on the business manager side… I think we’ve got a lot of exciting stuff to work towards and it will definitely take work.”