Or at least without a special meeting Monday night, where the mayor and aldermen will draft a response to County Manager Laura Blackmon's proposed closing of the Carrboro Branch Library in McDougle schools.

The proposed county budget calls for closing the Carrboro and Cedar Grove libraries and transferring staff to the new main county library opening in Hillsborough this fall. The Carrboro Cybrary in the Century Center downtown, with its six computer stations and small reading area, would stay open.

(The county-run libraries are separate from the Chapel Hill Public Library, which is operated by the town of Chapel Hill.)

Closing the Carrboro and Cedar Grove branches would save $45,373, according to the proposed county budget.

"The intention is to have the town stake out a position," Mayor Mark Chilton said Friday. "I'm aware [the county is] having an extraordinarily difficult budget year. ... I'm really not sure where all this is going to wind up."

The board could fight to save the library or maybe just save the local books donated to the library.

Alderwoman Randee Haven- O'Donnell wants to keep the library open.

"It doesn't speak well to cut services that are the backbone of public equity," she said. "A library is democracy."

Blackmon's nearly $177.6 million budget is 3 percent less than the original budget proposed for this year. It recommends the county commissioners cut school spending by $3.1 million and includes cuts across most departments to cope with the recession.

"I don't think the commissioners are being evil," Alderwoman Jacquie Gist said. "I think the commissioners are [thinking] 'Oh my god, what are we going to do?'"

Among the county commissioners, Mike Nelson, a former Carrboro mayor and alderman, has said he opposes closing the libraries.

Monday's meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Carrboro Town Hall.