WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The city of Waco is proposing budget cuts to address a $10.7 million funding gap that could reduce library hours and close the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum one day per week.
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The proposed budget would cut hours across the Waco library network by 10 to 14 hours per week, according to Roberto Zapata, the director of library and cultural assets for the city of Waco.
"As we were looking at hours, it was very important for us to make sure that we kept evening hours at all of our locations, and that we were open on weekends," Zapata said.
Even with reduced operating hours, Zapata said special programs would not be cut.
"Story times will continue, and so will a lot of other programs because it's important to us that we make sure to continue to engage with the community," Zapata said.
Jacob Campos, a recent Baylor University graduate, said the library holds a special place in his heart.
"I would be disappointed. Libraries in general have been pretty impactful to my life. When I was a kid I didn't have a lot of opportunities for extra programs actually, in Tennessee, and the library hosted a lot of programs for kids, and it was a great place for me to learn. That's where I learned about Benjamin Franklin, you know, creating the library," Campos said.
Campos said libraries serve as a critical free resource for people in need.
"I used to be apart of programs in Tennessee at the library, where the library was the place where people who were homeless or really having hard luck were able to come apply for jobs, and work on whatever they needed to, build their resumes so they could get off the streets, and this is like the only resource that's really possible that doesn't cost money," Campos said.
The proposed budget would also close the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum on Tuesdays. Zapata said the closure could create new opportunities for community outreach.
"It would actually allow us to maybe go out and do some presentations with school groups, and we were actually looking at Tuesdays as an option to bring in the larger school groups," Zapata said.
Zapata said if the proposal passes, current library and museum staff would not be affected, but open positions would be eliminated.
The proposed budget will be reviewed by city council on August 8. It will be adopted later this summer and go into effect on October 1.
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