Fiscal Policies:
I. Budgetary revenues will be projected at the conservative end of the scale of
anticipated revenue.
- Revenues derived from property taxes are clearly known because they were determined at the time of the prior year’s levy.
- Grant revenues are budgeted only for approved grants. Budget amendments are made for any pending grants subsequently awarded.
- Revenues derived from “fee for service” budgetary categories are conservatively estimated. Fees are adjusted based on an evaluation of the cost to provide said services.
II. Budgetary expenditures will reflect a realistic cap on anticipated expenditures.
Expenditures will be paid with current revenues and excess fund balances, to the
extent available.
III. Annual across the board percentage increases will be awarded on July 1st each year. These increases will be determined by the Board of Trustees based on budget projections.
IV. A level of unreserved fund balance will be maintained in the General Fund sufficient to handle emergency needs, cash flow needs associated with the timing of property tax receipts and unfavorable variances in estimating the revenue and expenditure budget. It is the Library’s goal to maintain an unreserved fund balance level in the General Fund sufficient to cover three to four months of operations. A three to four month reserve is considered an appropriate reserve level.
V. Potential areas for budget savings for each fiscal year will be identified. Fiscal savings will contribute to the unreserved fund balance.
VI. For FICA and IMRF obligations, the Library will levy amounts sufficient
to cover costs.
VII. Capital expenditures will be planned through the mechanism of a five-year capital
plan and budget submitted to the Village for approval. The Capital Plan will be updated on an annual basis. Actual capital expenditures will be budgeted contingent upon available revenues.
VIII. User fees will be evaluated annually to ensure that fees cover costs, if intended to do so.
| Fees for Services | Fee |
|---|---|
| Non resident fee (per family/per year) | $120.00 |
| Fax (per page) | 1.00 |
| Photocopies (per exposure) Black & white | 0.10 |
| Photocopies (per exposure) Color | 0.50 |
| Computer printouts Black & white (per printed page) | 0.10 |
| Computer printouts Color (per printed page) | 0.50 |
Charges for Lost, Damaged or Destroyed Library Materials
The Park Forest Public Library charges the price listed in its bibliographic records and a service charge of $5.00 for most library materials that are lost or destroyed. Damaged materials are assessed by the Acquisitions Department for fees up to replacement cost. If the prices in the Library’s records do not represent the actual replacement costs of an item, the Library will use the publisher’s catalog prices or the following standard prices plus the service charge to calculate the replacement cost.
If an item that has been lost and paid for is found and returned to the Library within one month of the date it is paid for, the cost of the item will be refunded. The service charge will be retained by the Library. Acceptance for refund after one month from payment of lost item will be at the discretion of the Library Director or Patron Services Coordinator.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Adult Fiction | 35.00 |
| Adult Non-Fiction | 40.00 |
| Juvenile Hardcover | 20.00 |
| Juvenile Paperback | 18.00 |
| Trade Paperback | 20.00 |
| Art Book | 75.00 |
| Large Type Book | 42.00 |
| DVD | 35.00 |
| Blu-Ray | 40.00 |
| Binge Box (DVD Collection) | 75.00 |
| Video Games | 60.00 |
| Kits (per set) | 75.00 |
| Compact Disc (per disc) | 30.00 |
| Literacy Kits (per kit) | 100.00 |
Items that are not returned or paid for within eight weeks of their due date are billed to the patron’s library account. A fee of $5.00 is added to the cost of the item.
If an item is returned to the Library within one month after the account has reached the billing stage, the bill is forgiven. Acceptance of items after one month will be at the discretion of the Library Director or Patron Services Coordinator. All service charges and postage fees will be retained by the Library.
The library cardholder is responsible for safekeeping and timely return of any materials borrowed on his/her card. A lost or stolen card must be reported immediately. Such report, duly recorded and confirmed by the Library, absolves the cardholder of any responsibility for items borrowed after the reporting date. Failure to report such loss or theft leaves the cardholder responsible. The charge to a library cardholder for materials checked out on a lost or stolen library card before it is reported lost or stolen will not exceed $100.
IX. The Board will receive detailed monthly statements on overall operating results.
X. Budgeted expenditures will clearly enable the accomplishment of the Board’s goals.
Affordability of implementation will be determined at the time revenues are projected, as part of the budget process.
A budgetary monitoring and control system will be maintained. The Library Director and Department Managers will conduct a six-month review of budget performance. An analysis of the results will be provided to the Library Board.