JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Minot Public Library Director Josh Pikka moves a cart of audiobooks as he reshelves some titles at the library Wednesday, June 17.

A committee investigating a merger of the Minot and Ward County public libraries has placed its business on hold temporarily. The committee decided Tuesday, June 15, to seek more guidance from its governing boards after determining it won’t have recommendations developed to get a measure on the November election ballot.

The submission date desired by the Ward County Auditor’s Office for the Nov. 3 ballot is July 4. Committee members concluded even extending the deadline somewhat wouldn’t allow enough time to recommend ballot language to the Minot City Council and Ward County Commission and provide adequate information for voters.

The committee voted to get council and commission guidance on whether to proceed with the goal of a ballot measure in 2028.

Much of Tuesday’s meeting centered on a financial analysis of a merger that showed cost savings in three scenarios.

City Council member Rob Fuller, who serves on the committee, ran the analysis, which he said concluded a merger is warranted and the city and county should move forward.

The assumptions in the analysis included no employee layoffs, continued operation of the bookmobile and all current library services maintained.

“All the projected savings are going to come from operational efficiencies and no service cuts. The analysis focuses on reducing duplication, improving coordination and leveraging shared resources where it’s appropriate. So, the intent was to maintain service levels while identifying opportunities to use tax dollars more efficiently,” Fuller said.

One scenario was a merger of the Ward County library into the Minot library. The recurring savings was estimated at about $200,000 annually. Over three years, $400,000 to $500,000 could be saved, which differs from the annual figure because of how one-time merger costs are calculated, Fuller said. At five years, the analysis showed a cumulative $1 million in savings, and at 10 years, between $2 million and $2.7 million could be saved.

If merging the libraries under Ward County, the recurring savings is about $80,000 annually in the analysis. Projected savings are $100,000 to $200,000 in three years, $400,000 in five years and $800,000 to $1.2 million in 10 years.

The benefit of a merger under Ward County is a unified, countywide system that maintains rural priorities, Fuller said. The challenge is the employee costs are higher under Ward County because of the richer county benefits program.

The third scenario added employee reductions through attrition after year four to the Ward County model. In that scenario, the savings could be $2.5 million to $4 million over 10 years.

Library staff reported 26 employees at Minot Public and 10 employees at Ward County Public, although those numbers don’t reflect full or part time. Minot Public’s full-time equivalency is 21.57.

“Everyone’s going to want to save more money,” Randi Monley, a Minot Public librarian, told the committee. “But the library patrons are going to be the ones to feel the crunch from programming and people, because you can use attrition for those top-level positions, but the people doing the work, I don’t see how you can get rid of any of them. We are as bare bones as we can get. That’s why we have 21 volunteers shelving books, because our assistants don’t have time.”

Fuller stressed the modeling maintains services even in the attrition analysis. He listed short-term merger concerns as transition costs, technology integration, policy alignment and employee uncertainty. Long-term risks include failure to maintain the efficiencies, future funding disagreements and capital maintenance obligations. Other considerations exist related to duplication of some positions and library board makeup.

“There’s, obviously, questions and things we have to look at, but there’s savings there. Whether it’s through the city merging into one or through the county merging into one, there’s significant savings there for the taxpayers,” Fuller said.

City council and committee member Lisa Olson said if there’s no layoffs or service cuts in the first few years and money still is saved, likely those efficiencies might be obtained by working together outside a merger.

Fuller said bigger savings exist with a merger, particularly when using attrition to reduce staff. He added the efficiencies start by closing one library and eliminating those building costs.

Olson sought more information on how the savings breaks down for both Minot and Ward County taxpayers and what the typical individual savings would be.

County Commissioner and committee member Miranda Schuler and Minot Public Library Director Josh Pikka called for a deeper dive into the analysis.

“I want to see all the data. We’re missing data,” Schuler said.

Ward County Library Director Kerrianne Boetcher suggested putting the brakes on a November vote. Waiting allows time to do a more detailed analysis, create a plan for a merged operation, gather public input and educate the public, she said. In the meantime, the libraries can work on a Memorandum of Understanding to create efficiencies, she said.

The committee agreed it needs more meetings to develop recommendations.

“This discussion has been really good. I don’t know that I think it needs to end,” Schuler said. “I just don’t know that I feel comfortable sending something forward without feeling like we’ve got a real good product.”

“I don’t think it’s bad that we slow down,” Fuller added, “as long as the work continues and we have the time to develop the framework.”

Meanwhile, Olson encouraged the library directors to look for joint efficiencies, starting with their 2027 budgets.

Committee Chair Ron Merritt, a Ward County commissioner, also said the city attorney has stated a merger without a vote may be possible but more research is needed.