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Commission: No Libraries To Close; Funding Solution Unknown
April 13, 2012
About 200 people wearing red attended an Escambia County Commission meeting Thursday morning to protest cuts to the county’s library system as commissioners tentatively agreed not to close any library branches.
“We are not going to do a massive cut to the libraries to the point where one have to close,” Commissioner Wilson Robertson said. Robertson sported a large button that proclaimed “Library” on his jacket during the meeting.
Commissioners, however, did not rule out trimming the library budget or the budget of any other county department as they work to solve a projected multi-million dollar shortfall next fiscal year.
And commissioners made no decision on how to continuing funding the libraries — including the Century Branch Library and the under-construction Molino Library.
Commissioners discussed numerous ways to make up a projected $9.5 million across the board deficit, most of which is due to a new Medicaid law signed by Gov. Rick Scott. That law will force the county to pay $6.2 million to the state for disputed Medicaid bills that have been adding up for about a decade. County Administrator Randy Oliver had identified the library as one possible source toward solving their impending budget crisis.
The problem, commissioners agreed, was state mandates, not local budget management.
“I find it ridiculous that those jackasses in Tallahassee can use local governments to balance their budgets,” an obviously agitated Commissioner Kevin White said. “It just blows my mind.”
Commissioner reaction was mixed on how to solve the budget problems — from Marie Young and Whitesuggesting a .5 mils property tax increase to Gene Valentino saying the county should first find ways to trim the bottom line before considering a tax increase.
“Five-tenths of a mil would solve all of our problems,” Young said. “What’s the big deal about raising taxes? That’s not a big deal—Ohhh, somebody’s going to take that and run with it.”
“We cannot provide the current level of services on the current revenues,” County Administrator Randy Oliver said.
The commission will schedule budge workshops in the coming to weeks to iron out how to save the $9.5 million.
Pictured above: Library supporters wearing red packed an Escambia County Commission meeting Thursday morning. Pictured below: After the commission chambers filed, library supporters gathered in the atrium of the governmental complex to watch the meeting on a television feed. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
9 Responses to “Commission: No Libraries To Close; Funding Solution Unknown”
Funny, 1.7mil from the city to run the big city branches.
Not so funny, 3.7 mil from the county to run the smaller county branches.
You can believe i think they need cuts.
NO TAX INCREASES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do the common people get a raise every time their budgets get tight?
I agree with Jane – it’s always the property owners who suffer. Yes, the commissioners salary should be cut. I fell like all the city, county, state & federal official make TOO MUCH MONEY. AND then there are those who are senior citizens and they are always having to come up with more money to pay more taxes..I understand that they got a raise, but then their insurance went up. Can’t win for loosing!! Whatever – just don’t land it on the property owners, if you’re in for taxes make it so everyone has to pay!!
raise taxes..funny a commissioner who is not running again would vote for that..way to get us again Kevin…as far as libaries go…and may I add I love to read…we really need to look as the usage…with the change in technology..how many people really do use them…may be should go to a pay as you go plan….why build one in Molino if only a small number of people use them..just a thought..we still need them..but how many
They blamed Randy Oliver and said that he should have never sent out a letter saying they were not going to fund the libraries. The county seems to do this every year. They need to find a solution so we will have our libraries.
Maybe wrong about all this, but why would we be building a new library in Molino and be talking about cutting the library funding at the same time?
I understand the the local option sales tax can only be used for capital projects, like building things we can’t afford to operate. Does that mean we have such a surplus in capital funding that we’re making poor decisions?
How about lowering the commissioner’s salaries, letting them pay for their own lunches, dinners, etc., and adding a 1 cent sales tax so some of the medicaid receipients could help pay for their medical care? The tourists could help pay the bills too….why should the proprty owners have to foot the bill for everything? We weren’t the ones who didn’t pay the medicaid bills for almost a decade!
Our County Commission representative proposes that the “easiest” solution is to raise the property tax millage to solve the deficit problem. While it may be the easiest ,is it the best or only solution? Rather than work to find other possible ways out of this problem they would throw it on the back of property owners. The operative word is work.
I realize as much as anyone we need to fund certain things for the good of society as a whole and libraries may fall in that category. but I think probably revenue can be raised other ways or cuts could be made in other programs before we invoke that glib ” we’ll just raise taxes” attitude.
“Gene Valentino saying the county should first find ways to trim the bottom line before considering a tax increase”
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Shouldn’t they have already been trying to “find ways to trim the bottom line?” I was thinking trimming the bottom line had been a priority for a couple of years now.