The King William Board of Supervisors will vote June 12 on neighboring King and Queen County’s request for an early withdrawal from the Pamunkey Regional Library system.
King and Queen Administrator Vivian Seay blamed an increasingly difficult financial situation on the decision to leave the system when she appeared before the King William board on April 24. King and Queen can pull out early if the other counties in the system agree and shoulder additional costs. The Pamunkey Regional Library runs branches in King William, King and Queen, Hanover and Goochland counties.
King and Queen must give two years’ notice before it can unilaterally withdraw under state code unless each locality gives consent to the county’s withdrawal on June 30. Seay said the county intends to give two years’ notice, irrespective of the decisions of the other counties.
“They need an affirmative vote not only by this board but by the other two,” said King William Administrator Percy Ashcraft.
Supervisor Travis Moskalski said he would only support King and Queen’s withdrawal if it had a “revenue neutral” impact on the other counties. King William faces additional costs of $27,000 a year over two years if King and Queen leaves the system early.
“If it’s not going to be revenue-neutral, if us and the other contributing members are going to have to contribute more this year because of the decision, I’m not going to support it,” Moskalski said.
Ashcraft said King and Queen is willing to negotiate with its neighbor over the cost and does not agree with numbers provided by Pamunkey Regional Library.
“I’m not in favor of it either,” said Stewart Garber. “If they tried to negotiate something so our taxpaying citizens did not have any loss, then the other localities would want the same thing. I don’t see a way out of this.”
Garber suggested citizens of King and Queen County would use libraries in King William if the county’s sole branch closed.
“For little or no revenue, they would have the full benefit of Pamunkey Regional Library and I don’t think it’s fair,” he said.
Supervisor Ed Moren said he does not believe citizens of King and Queen would be eligible to use Pamunkey Regional Library branches if the county ended its payments. King and Queen’s bill for FY24 is $236,540 for 30 hours a week.
Mary Shipman, a member of the Pamunkey Regional Library board of trustees, concurred. “My understanding is that their cards would be disabled … I really hate to see a library shut down and the citizens leave the services,” she told the supervisors.
Chair Bill Hodges moved a resolution to reject King and Queen’s request.
“I’d be in favor of disabling their cards if they didn’t pay,” he said.
Hodges later withdrew the motion pending further information on the financial implications for King William County.
Libraries have dominated discussions in King William County over the last two years. The Board of Supervisors opposed paying an additional $129,000 to the Pamunkey Regional Library system in the FY23 budget but backed down last summer in the face of a 70 percent cut in opening hours. The county has proposed building its own library in the Central Garage area. However, the proposal has sparked opposition from some citizens.
The regional library system has come under fire from some members of the public who are seeking to restrict young people’s access to certain books.
David Macaulay, davidmacaulayva@gmail.com
