Thursday, January 15, 2026 |
Photo – Hanna Library – Bigfoot99 file photo
Last‑minute grants have temporarily saved the Hanna and Medicine Bow libraries. Now, local officials must decide how long the branches will remain open.
State‑wide residential property tax cuts have reduced the revenue available to local governments. Carbon County saw nearly $900,000 in losses, with $500,000 of it directly tied to the tax changes. With fewer dollars to spend, the Board of County Commissioners cut funding to outside agencies, including museums, senior centers, and the library system, which saw a 53% budget reduction from the previous year.
After learning about the budget cuts, Library Board members traveled around the county, explaining to municipalities that the lower funding necessitated reducing operating hours at all seven locations and could lead to the closure of underperforming branches, specifically the Hanna and Medicine Bow libraries. The Library Board planned to shut down the two branches at the end of September and turned to the towns for funding to keep them open longer.
Speaking at the January 12th Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, Carbon County Public Library Board Chairwoman Addie Myers presented the governing body with both good and bad news.
Myers said the Library System received a $7,500 donation from PacifiCorp, a $9,000 grant from the Wyoming Intertie Community Investment Program, and a $9,000 match from the Carbon County Library Foundation. The $25,500 is earmarked to keep the Hanna and Medicine Bow libraries open. Myers added that the library system also received $3,000 from the Medicine Bow United Methodist Church specifically for the town’s branch.
The Library Board chairwoman said operating the Medicine Bow Library costs $43.25 an hour. At that rate, Myers said the branch can stay open for quite a while on its share of the grant and donation funds.
The Medicine Bow branch is open from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. every Thursday. Myers said the Town Council can choose to use the donation and grant funding to double the hours of operation, which will result in the money running out this August. However, if the hours remain the same, the library will be funded until next March.
Since the money was raised for the Medicine Bow branch, Myers said the Town Council should decide how it’s spent.
The Library Board chairwoman said she is confident the state will make changes to the existing and proposed property tax relief bills to increase contributions to local governments. However, if the funding situation doesn’t improve and the donation and grant money is exhausted, Myers suggested serving the town with a bookmobile. Although she acknowledged that a bookmobile is not a substitute for a physical library.
Town Attorney Cameron Smith said the Library Board should enter into a memorandum of understanding to ensure the donation money is used only for the Medicine Bow Library. Myers agreed.
Earlier in the meeting, Medicine Bow resident Matt Leonard said he appreciates the local library. However, Leonard said the Albany County Public Library in Laramie contains materials he considers unsuitable for children and feels that his tax dollars should not be supporting that type of content.
Carbon County Public Library Board Chairwoman Addie Myers said users of the Medicine Bow Library have not raised concerns about inappropriate materials, adding that having individual branches ensures the collections reflect the towns’ values.
Another resident asked if the library could be converted into an unmanned branch with only a computer to check materials in and out. Myers said the idea could work, but the library system values its employees too much to replace them with technology or volunteers, which had been suggested as another way to reduce costs.
Mayor Justin George asked the governing body for their thoughts: should they use the donation and grant funding to increase hours of operation or remain at five hours a week and keep the library open until March of 2027. The Council agreed to keep the same hours in the hope that the funding issues will be resolved before the money runs out. The Council did not hold an official vote on the matter.
The following evening, Myers presented a similar solution to the Hanna Town Council. During the January 13th meeting, the Library Board chairwoman said the Hanna Library was originally scheduled to close on September 30th. However, the grants and donations from PacifiCorp, the Wyoming Intertie Community Investment Program, and the Carbon County Library Foundation have allowed the Hanna branch to remain open until May.
The Hanna Library is open for 10 hours a week, meaning its funding will be exhausted faster than in Medicine Bow. Myers said that at this rate, the branch will run out of money before the next fiscal year ends on June 30th. The Library Board chairwoman said the town would need to contribute $3,460 to ensure the branch remains open until that time.
Myers said the Council can also choose to cut hours to keep the Hanna branch open longer. Should the library close, Myers said the town could be serviced by a book mobile, like Medicine Bow. Alternatively, the town could contribute $17,000 to cover the library’s staffing costs into the following fiscal year.
Mayor Charlie George said the Council is beginning work on the annual budget. Once those numbers are set, the town will know how much, if anything, it can contribute to the library system.
Mayor George requested traffic data for the Hanna Library before the Council makes a decision about cutting hours. Myers said she will gather that information and provide updated operational costs at a later date. In the meantime, the Library Board chairwoman urged residents to contact their state representative and ask them to reconsider the residential property tax cuts, which she described as a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
