Yuma County backs bill to get reimbursed for services to library

  Yuma County officials are backing legislation that would enable the county to be reimbursed for funding services it provides to the county library district, which cost about $200,000 a year.

  The district is part of county government and it levies a county-wide property tax to pay for maintenance and operation of library branches in Yuma, the Foothills, San Luis, Somerton, Wellton, Dateland and Roll.

  But for the last several years, the county has not been able to recover an average of $200,000 in annual cost for providing the district specialized services such as payroll, human resources and legal services.

  Yuma state Rep. Russ Jones has sponsored legislation that will allow the county to recoup costs when the library district uses county services. The bill is also sponsored by local lawmakers Rep. Lynn Pancrazi and Sen. Amanda Aguirre.

  County Administrator Robert Pickels said the county is already reimbursed for the services other special districts use.

  He said Jones, county officials and representatives from the library district and Friends of the Library met last week to discuss the proposed changes. Pickels said they had questions about how the change would affect the library district.

  He said the meeting went well.

  "(Library representatives) walked away with a very detailed understanding of why we're trying to promote this," Pickels said.

  Susan M. Evans, director of the Yuma County Library District, said she also thought the meeting went well.

  Evans said costs vary from year to year depending on the amount of services used, but most recently totaled just over $200,000.

  She said even though funding for the district is separate, they are "still a big part of the county system." As part of county government, she said the county provides oversight through the Board of Supervisors and also provides capital improvements for the library district.

  Evans said the library district expected to start paying for services again.

  If the bill passes during the current legislative session, the change will be effective Sept. 30.

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Stephanie A. Wilken can be reached at swilken@yumasun.com or 539-6857.