Petition claims city is chronically underfunding Jake Epp Library

An online petition concerning the Jake Epp Library’s funding has caused a stir after making a number of allegations.

Since Sept. 20, the Save the Jake Epp Library from Underfunding petition on change.org has garnered 366 signatures of a 500 signature goal. In the petition, former part-time employee Casper Epp claims there is a level of apathy at city hall towards the library which has resulted in chronic underfunding.

“I wrote the petition so the public who utilize and appreciate the library have a chance to understand and protest the time-sensitive threats the library faces due to political and financial agendas,” said Epp, who uses the pronouns they/them.

They said their hope is for the library to be guaranteed an annual funding increase and enough hours for staff so that they are not overwhelmed and overworked.

“In short, I’m hoping the petition will hold the city responsible for their quiet mistreatment and mismanagement of the library’s finances and needs. Hopefully a greater public understanding of the JEL’s situation will help keep the library in the spotlight so no more funding can be refused or redirected without the community knowing and objecting.”

Epp worked at the library for three years performing many duties. They said writing the petition was neither impulsive nor careless and they began writing it months before they resigned and published it once they were free from reprisal. They resigned because they were continuing their education in Winnipeg.

City representative on the library board Coun. Bill Hiebert would not comment on the petition and said no one from the city will comment either. Hiebert was accused in the petition of having “aggressively influenced” the board and that he “shoots down pleas for funding increases.”

Former library director and current board member Carolyn Graham acknowledged the frustration of Epp and said the relationship between the city and the library is unhealthy.

“I don’t think it is totally healthy, no. On behalf of trying to speak as a board member neither should there be any expectation that the City of Steinbach and the Jake Epp Library would see eye to eye on all issues,” she said.

“But I also know that the city council has many calls on city funding. That being said I believe that city council probably should rethink their funding and have a thorough examination of the real need of where the library is at.”

Graham said the result from the underfunding makes it difficult for staff to provide programing and to purchase books which have doubled in price for some collections.

The last time the library received a funding increase from the city was in 2023 for $50,000, according to Epp. The city gives the library $385,681 in funding annually at a locked in rate of five years and it charges $140,000 in rent annually. The rent money is then used by the city to pay for the maintenance, utilities, supplies, and insurance on the building.

It’s not unusual for a city to charge rent to its library. The cities of Brandon, Winnipeg, and Portage la Prairie all charge their libraries rent on city owned buildings. Brandon and Portage la Prairie are regional libraries so they get funding from surrounding municipalities as well as from grants and the province, among other forms of revenue. In 2023, the Western Manitoba Regional Library received about $975,000 from Brandon and the surrounding five municipalities in funding. The WMRL paid rent in the amount of $302,170. Portage la Prairie received $351,000 in municipal funding from the city and RM of Portage la Prairie and paid a little over $29,000 in rent.

Graham said regionalization of the library would add more money to its coffers, but that plan needs to be set in motion by the municipalities.

Other sources of revenue for the Jake Epp Library include the province ($182,314); grants ($15,721); and library generated ($71,338). In all, the library had a total of $695,993 in revenue, but its expenses totalled $730,530, with rent, and wages and benefits ($448,811) covering the bulk of the expenditure.

The issue of staff pay was brought up with Graham stating staff “received the (minimum wage) increases that were required by law and yet I don’t believe they are being any way close to being overpaid that’s for sure.”

All of the staff are part-time workers with the exception of two full-time staff – the library director and the assistant director. Graham couldn’t give wage ranges for full-time staff, but she did say some were making more than minimum wage while some were at minimum wage. Full-time staff are receiving some benefits.

With the library being at a deficit, one wonders how it manages to pay for new books or computer equipment. Graham said that is done through grants. Epp claims there are parts of the collection that are not being replenished with new items and that the computers are so out of date that they don’t function properly. The library just recently replaced all the public use computers and plans to replace staff computers by the end of the year.

Morale at the library is at an all-time low right now, with one employee citing in the petition comments that she goes “home from each shift discouraged because there’s no sign of catching up.” Graham acknowledged there is a problem with morale and that the board has been working for the past few months on how to fix it. She wouldn’t say what the issues are that are leading to low morale.

“Anytime that there is a struggle between staff and between staff and funding bodies it will entail that there is a difficulty in morale,” she said.

One staff member, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, claimed morale is low because of understaffing during peak season and limited opportunities for professional development and career progression.

Some of the measures that are being considered to boost morale, according to the employee, include training programs and workshops to enhance staff skills and career growth; managing workloads by hiring more part-time staff and volunteers; and a focus on recognizing staff efforts and contributions.

Graham said the staff at the library love their jobs as a “general rule” and that they work extremely hard.

“I cannot over emphasize the care that they take for the library for the community that they serve. That is their goal to provide anything that anybody needs that they can get their hands…the staff will do their level best to serve everybody that walks in the door.”