Library War Continues Between ‘Dysfunctional’ City And ‘Extortionist’ County

October 12, 2012

“Dysfunctional”, “horse crap” and “extortionist” — the war of  words between Escambia County and the City of Pensacola over library funding escalated Thursday, with members of the Escambia County Commission firing the latest verbal salvos over not just the library but also public transit.

The county commission cut their contribution to the library by 5-percent with the new budget year that began October 1, and the West Florida Library System responded by cutting hours at at all branches but most drastically at the Century and soon to be open Molino Branch. Just over two-thirds of the library system’s budget is from the county, while the city funds less than a third under an interlocal agreement.

In a letter last week to the city, County Administrator Randy Oliver said  the county will withhold a portion of their funding for the library system in order to hire the city’s library employees to fully staff libraries in the county,  reducing the appropriation by the amount necessary to provided staffing to all library branches in the unincorporated areas at the same level as the branch in the city with the greatest operating hours.

After NorthEscambia.com published Oliver’s plan on Monday, City Administrator Bill Reynolds responded to Oliver Tuesday with a letter defending the reduced hours and claiming the county has actually failed to pay $1,229,663 for library services since 2008.

Reynolds said that Oliver’s plan to adjust library funding to maintain service hours at the rural branches “can only be taken as contemplation by the County to somehow further disrupt the system”.  And he called the county’s threatened cutbacks “extortion”.

Thursday morning, commissioner fired back during a Committee of the Whole meeting.

“I call horse crap on that,” Escambia County Commissioner White said Thursday morning. White represents District 5, home of the Century and Molino Branch libraries. “They are  the extortionists.”

Commissioner Grover Robinson suggested that the city and county sit down to discuss the library and funding. But White said that would be a “waste of time” because “they’re so dysfunctional”.

The county has been “villainized” by the city, Commissioner Wilson Robertson said, mentioning how the city quit funding mass transit and leaving the county to foot the entire bill for ECAT, including routes in the city. He suggested that county add up the mass transit money not paid by the city, about $6.5 million, subtract $1.2 million for library funding and bill the city for the difference. If not, he suggested that the county limit mass transit service inside the city.

“It we are going to be accused of extortion, let’s get this right,” Robertson said.

Commissioner Gene Valentino suggested that the county could “seize control” of the library system since the commission represents the entire county, including Pensacola residents.

Robinson asked County Attorney Alison Rogers to draft a motion to be considered by the commission on October 18 that would get the county out of their interlocal library agreement with the city.

Comments

8 Responses to “Library War Continues Between ‘Dysfunctional’ City And ‘Extortionist’ County”

  1. Christopher J. Lewis on October 15th, 2012 10:55 am

    I live in the city. I like North County. My wife Yvonne and I thoroughly enjoyed last week’s Escambia County Farm Tour. I served on the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission and had a chance to compare the county and city governments in detail. Escambia County has a well-run government. The City of Pensacola does not. Inside City Hall many big shots on the seventh floor whine all day about the evil Escambia County government. Mayor Hayward wants to be the Mayor of a countywide Consolidated Government armed with city and county taxing authority so he can do to Escambia county what he is doing to the City of Pensacola. However, Escambia County never gets credit for all it does within city limits to include this year’s $2.6 million forced contribution to the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and its annual subsidy to the Pensacola Civic Center newly rebranded as the still old Pensacola Bay Center that mostly benefits downtown.

    The Board of County Commissioners should terminate the interlocal agreement that allows it to provide most of the funding and Mayor Hayward to make all the decisions about the library system. The Pensacola City Council no longer plays much of a role in the library system recently downgraded, by Hayward and without any input from the City Council, from a department to a subordinate division buried under the city’s new Neighborhood Services Department run by a director who said he does not know anything about libraries. If the BCC forms a new Escambia County Library System, the City Council would probably agree to turn over all the assets of the existing library system within city limits. To save money, the Westside Branch Library and West Florida Genealogical Library should be closed with their assets merged into the Main Library. Centralizing governance and funding for the library system at the county level frees up about $1.5 million in the city’s General Fund that can be used to put more police officers on the streets, build sidewalks where none exist, etc.

  2. Roll tide on October 13th, 2012 1:22 pm

    They should close one of the downtown library’s because they are so close to each other and with that being said they should give the Century Branch back their hours. But in my opinion what I am thinking that they are gonna do is keep cutting down the Century Branch’s hours until its COMPLETLY closed. And the reason being for that it because they say we are “TOO” far out. We do want our Century library hours back, not only do us patrons want the hours back but so do the employees. They have went from working all day everyday to little of nothing. And explain to me how bills are supposed to be paid?????

  3. marm on October 13th, 2012 1:23 am

    Michelle H.
    ROFL! Exactly what I was thinking

  4. Oversight on October 12th, 2012 8:03 am

    Yes, sieze control and then shut down those down town branches that are only blocks apart. City of Pensacola – be careful of what you wish for.

  5. aam on October 12th, 2012 7:42 am

    Where is the Strong Mayor in all of this? He should be talking with the head of the Library system and tell them to act as grown ups. I think a meeting between the two would be better for everyone before all of the mud slinging. I live in the north end of the county and do feel like the city is showing their disdain for us but would rather try to negotiate and then tell them we will keep our monies up this away.

  6. Jane on October 12th, 2012 6:42 am

    It is past time for the County to stand up for the north end of Escambia County. Pensacola has been using our tax money to fund their projects for years and now it is time for the County to fund a few of theirs! I’m in favor of the County taking control of the taxes we pay. Oliver, Robertson and White have it right this time!

  7. Mmoulton on October 12th, 2012 6:27 am

    I like Commissioner Valentino’s suggestion to ’seize control’. The Pensacola City residents are also residents of Escambia County and pay taxes for both government entities. Therefore, a City resident is paying twice for library services. Valentino’s suggestion would be a win, win for city residents. The City ad valorem, property tax revenue, can be redirected from library services to something that is only serviced within the city limits such as park improvements, neighborhood enhancements, public safety services, resource centers, or sidewalk/road repairs or any other services that is not a part of an interlocal agreement with Escambia County. There is so much more the City will be able to do if the Commissioner(s) that represent citizens living in within the City of Pensacola city limits seize control of the library system.

  8. Michelle H. on October 12th, 2012 6:18 am

    Wow…reading this article was similar to witnessing an argument between my 8 and 6 year olds.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News