The Monroe County Public Library’s downtown location will close at 7 p.m. — two hours earlier — Monday through Thursdays starting Nov. 24. This decision was made by a unanimous vote during a board meeting Wednesday.
The reduction of hours is part of cuts the library is making due to property tax revenue loss from Indiana Senate Bill 1. Because of the new legislation, MCPL will have a $350,000 to $400,000 decrease in property tax revenue each year over the next three years, library director Grier Carson said.
Members of the MCPL board of trustees have discussed the proposed cuts since June.
Read more: Monroe County Public Library proposes plan to reduce hours and staff
“With regard to resource and space use, we considered how the downtown library was underutilized during the last two hours of the day, Monday through Thursday,” Carson said. “Our door count, computer use and room reservation data all suggested a downward trend for those hours over the past few years.”
Other cuts to reduce expenses include a reduction of five full-time positions over the next two years. The cuts are expected to come through attrition rather than layoffs.
The 2026 budget was also discussed during the meeting.
