The Jake Epp Library in Steinbach will increase its non-resident membership fees from $110 to $165 per year, starting July 1. The decision, announced at Tuesday’s Steinbach City Council meeting, comes as the library faces rising costs for wages and book purchases.
Addressing rising costs
Councillor Jac Siemens, the city’s representative on the Jake Epp Library Board, said the increase is necessary to help cover the growing expenses of running the library. “The cost of running a library has gone up substantially, especially since COVID,” Siemens said. “Wages and the cost of books have both increased significantly.”
Siemens said that wages are expected to rise further in October due to a minimum wage increase, while the cost of books has already jumped by more than 60%. He also noted the potential impact of new tariffs on book purchases, which remains unknown.
At this point it is important that, in order to meet budget obligations and potentially open up the library to full hours again, we do need to raise our revenues, Siemens said.
Adding to the financial pressure is the increased demand for library services, Siemens said. “We’ve seen more people using the library, and that’s great, but it also means more wear and tear on resources and more staff time,” he said.
Aligning fees with other facilities
The increase in non-resident fees aligns with what Steinbach residents already pay through property taxes to support the library, Siemens said.
“Roughly 35 to 40% of the library users are non-residents, and we need to increase those fees to the levels similar to what our residents pay,” he said.
Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra said he supports the increase, emphasizing that Steinbach taxpayers are the primary funders of the library.
“If we’re having 30 to 40% of the books being checked out of the library by non-residents, it sends a clear message that the non-resident fees need to be here,” he said.
Zwaagstra also said that those unhappy with the fee increase should approach their local councils. “If people in other municipalities aren’t happy with that change, they can ask their own councillors to partner with us in regionalizing the library,” he said.
Comparing fees with other libraries
Siemens noted that the new fee structure brings Steinbach’s non-resident fees more in line with other libraries in Manitoba.
“Other libraries charge comparable or even higher fees for non-residents,” he said, “and we’ve been undercharging for years compared to those rates.”
Regionalization discussions ongoing
Siemens said discussions about a potential regional library system for Southeast Manitoba are ongoing. Eight municipalities are currently part of the talks, with the next meeting scheduled for May 22.
“The process is not a quick one,” Siemens said, noting that the earliest a regional library could be established is 2027. “There’s a lot of heavy lifting to be done to get it manageable.”
Zwaagstra added that the regional library initiative is one way to address long-term funding challenges. “If more municipalities partner with us, it would lessen the financial burden on both the city and on non-residents,” he said.