RAPID CITY - Pennington County officially rejected a request for more money by the Rapid City Public Library on Tuesday, and county commissioners indicated they will consider other options for library services before the end of the year.

"There are no negotiations ongoing with the Rapid City library board. There is no contract," Commission Chairman Jim Kjerstad said.

The county and the city library have been at odds for the past three weeks since the library decided not to renew its contract to provide library services to county residents who live outside the city limits.

Without a contract, county residents will have to pay to get a Rapid City library card. The library board set next year's noncity resident rates next year at $20 for three months, $40 for six months and $70 for 12 months.

On Oct. 11, Kjerstad and Commissioner Ethan Schmidt met with Mayor Alan Hanks, library director Greta Chapman and library board chairman Monte Loos to talk about the impasse. Kjerstad said the county was presented with a request for $396,000, a figure he called merely "a talking point" for consideration.

"That's far above what is in our budget. From my personal standpoint, it's just time to move on," he said.

The county budgeted $351,749 for the Rapid City library next year. Though $45,000 seems like a small difference, the two sides are miles apart on what amounts to a fair number.

Kjerstad said the library's request would amount to an 18.2 percent increase over this year, on top of a 14.8 percent increase the county authorized in the 2007 budget.

The county was already dipping into its $207,000 reserve by $21,000 to pay the money proposed for Rapid City next year. Commissioners are opposed to using more from reserves because it would deplete the fund.

Without a reserve, the county would be forced to opt out of the property tax lid imposed by state law, something it did in 2001 to pay for the original library contract and start the library reserve fund, Schmidt said.

"If we do an opt out and the public doesn't favor it, we're really stuck up against a wall," he said.

Schmidt still believes the Rapid City library is the best choice for library services, but he also wants to be fiscally responsible.

Commissioner Nancy Trautman said the county worked hard to balance the budget this year while trying to be fair. She said the county made some tough cuts, such as reducing the Humane Society budget, but still increased money for library services.

"For me, I felt we made a pretty generous offer," she said. "I think what we did in our budgeting was fair. We worked hard to give them extra, and that's as far as I'm willing to go."

Voters twice mandated that the county provide library services. To do that, the county signed contracts with municipal libraries in Rapid City, Keystone, Hill City and Wall through 2006.

Last year, the county signed separate five-year contracts with Wall, Hill City and Keystone after negotiations with Rapid City bogged down.

Regardless of what happens with Rapid City, county residents can still use the Hill City, Keystone or Wall libraries next year. The $70 fee would apply only to getting a library card from the Rapid City library.

Kjerstad said it is time for the county to look at other options.

The county outlined six possibilities last week, including partnering with a school system, bonding for part of a structure, creating a library-user district with other counties, pushing for a county sales tax, buying a doublewide manufactured structure for a county library or using facilities at the county fairgrounds for a library.

Late Monday night, it appeared a deal was in the works. Hanks said during the regular city council meeting that he believed "at least an agreement in principle" had been reached that both sides were taking to their respective boards.

But Kjerstad said Tuesday morning that Hanks was mistaken if he thought an agreement was in place.

"I think he would like to think there is," Kjerstad said. "Unless he has taken control of the library board and is making decisions - that's not what I've been hearing."

Alderman Sam Kooiker said Monday night that he was disappointed about the lack of openness while talking about the library contract. He said he has gotten several calls from constituents about the situation and believes as much discussion as possible should be done in public.

"This is not a communication between the CIA and NSA. This is a communication between the city library and Pennington County," he said.

Library board chairman Loos, reached by phone while vacationing, said the library is working on a response, but it likely wouldn't be issued until Wednesday, Oct. 17. He declined to offer a comment until he reviews the response.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com