Grey County will consider implementing county-wide library services, after passing a notice of motion on Thursday.
The motion was brought forward by Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Scott Greig, who said that it was in the interest of the taxpayers that they look at this option.
"Bruce County has a county-wide library system. Their total 2024 budget line item was $3,742,000. That is a big difference between Grey County's cumulative total of $6,798,000. So I think it does behoove us to see if there is a possibility of moving forward in a partnership model as opposed to the more isolate model we're currently deploying."
West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles said he had pushed for this in the past, to improve access for residents that aren't near a library, but it was unable to progress. The end result of the evaluation around 12 years ago was a recommendation for library boards to work with neighbouring municipalities rather than a county-wide system.
"I'm not as concerned about the dollars in the library system... it was around access for some of the individuals in the community of West Grey that live closer to those boundaries," said Eccles. "We couldn't get an agreement with those two counties as we were a lower-tier service and they were an upper-tier, and they weren't going to enter into an agreement. It still stands that way today, so for that reason, to be able to work with out partners... I would like to see this go forward."
CAO Randy Scherzer said a review would include feedback from each of the County's libraries and municipalities, as well as reaching out to neighbouring counties.
Warden Andrea Matrosovs said it was important to also review the differences in each municipalities library services, noting that Blue Mountains Public Library is comprised of a Gallery, Library, Archive and Museum.
The County's Joint Municipal Services Committee will evaluate the possibility before it returns to council.
