Effingham County commissioners may be trying to find ways to restore funding they have proposed to cut from the county’s two libraries.

Commissioners asked for 10 percent cuts from all departments and elected officials’ budgets that fall under their approval. With the planned 50 percent reduction in funding from the school system, that means the libraries stand to lose about 35 percent of their financing.

“Efforts are being given to not close down the library and folks should understand that,” commission Chairman Dusty Zeigler said.

Commissioners discussed ending funding for the school resource officers and using that money — about $350,000 a year — toward the library.

“I’d rather see the library stay than the school resource officers,” said Commissioner Verna Phillips, with Commissioners Bob Brantley and Reggie Loper concurring with Phillips’ opinion.

Commissioners are expected to approve their fiscal year 2011 budget at their June 15 meeting. As it stands, the county’s portion of library funding will be trimmed from $316,000 to $284,450.

Zeigler said commissioners and county staff have met with library representatives and others to develop a plan for the library’s future.

“Please rest assured we are not just shrugging off the library,” he said. “We’re trying to make sure what we’re doing is with the big picture in mind.”

Library supporters continued to press commissioners to restore funding for the two library branches in Effingham County. Sharon Hamilton has circulated a petition, collecting hundreds of signatures in support of the libraries.

She cited the increase in usage at the library, and library officials believe the current fiscal year will be its busiest on record.

“When I first heard the news of budget cuts for our local library, I was deeply saddened. The more I thought about it, I became angered,” she said. “It’s plain and simple — when a demand for a service continues to increase, it’s illogical to slash funding. Our community grows in population and our taxes increases, so too should the funding for our libraries, especially in our current economic crisis.”

Dr. Brenda Lovett said those who can’t afford home computers often use the ones at the libraries.

“Many of the students who do not have computers are using the computers in the library,” she said.

Lovett, a former educator and a Guyton City Council member, also praised the libraries’ Story Time programs for introducing children to reading.

“If children are reading early,” she said, “they are going to be productive citizens.”

Library patrons also can use inter-library loans for materials and resources not available at the Rincon and Springfield branches, Lovett said.

“I was upset to read that the library was considered in some of the cuts,” she said. “If we’re going to cut the library, then we might be crippling our children for the future.”

Hamilton also admonished the commissioners for their planned library budget reductions.

“Our commissioners may not know what a library does, but our citizens certainly do,” she said. “We will not forget and pushing our libraries one more step closer to closure is a slap in the face. Each one of you should be ashamed for even considering this budget cut, especially in light of the recent school board action.”

But county officials said they had planned on the 10 percent cut before they found out the school system was cutting its usual $360,000 in funding for fiscal year 2010 to $180,000 for FY11.

“When we went into our meeting with the library, we had no idea the school board was going to cut its funding by 50 percent,” County Administrator David Crawley said.

The libraries used to be funded completely by the school system, Crawley said, and the cities of Rincon and Springfield also provided some financial backing for a brief period. The county did not begin to pick up such a large chunk of the library’s funding — 44 percent in FY09 and 47 percent in FY10 — until 2006.

“How fair is that to us to not be able to properly prepare for those kinds of things?” Zeigler said of the school board’s library funding cut. “It’s hard to gauge the library’s position in community. If it’s no longer important to the board of education, how we do place an importance on it?”

Zeigler also said the county is continuing to work on possible partnerships with the library, Savannah Technical College, the school system and Coastal Workforce Services. He also called for performance measures and evaluation standards from the library.

“If the county is going to fund something of this nature, parameters, measurements and goals need to be put on this function,” he said. “Are we measuring literacy rates? Are we going to measure unemployment? The library gives us a detailed report of a high quantity of activity but no measure of effectiveness. That’s my concern.”

In addressing quality of life concerns, Zeigler said he was elected overwhelmingly to keep an eye on county finances and spending.

“They thought to vote to uphold the core values. All I’m doing is representing the constituency who put me in this seat,” he said. “But how do you measure quality of life from that? I say by reducing their taxes and putting money in their pockets and allowing them to control their own quality of life and what their quality of life might be.”

But advocates for the library’s former level of funding continued to push for its support.

“If there’s anything that is important to the quality of life to a community,” said Ruth Lee, “it has to be the library.”