In a cost-cutting move, Ramsey County will close its longstanding detoxification center in downtown St. Paul, letting go 43 workers by the end of December in favor of out-sourced services for residents actively suffering from substance abuse.

That’s not the only cut rolling out with the new county budget, which would eliminate the equivalent of five full-time workers from the suburban library system, as well as the entirety of the library budget for substitute staffing. Workers say they’ve been told the Shoreview branch — one of the busiest libraries in the state, and the second busiest in Ramsey County — will soon close on Fridays.

The likelihood that smaller branches may have to shutter for the day when workers call in sick will go up a notch.

“The library staffing is not keeping pace

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