Jacksonville's libraries should not be closed!

[TheGeo35]

Here is a short video I did about the Proposed Library Closures-focusing on the Willow Branch Library http://youtu.be/X-GtnYYIiCo

[Dog Walker]

Thanks for the minutes, Stephen.  VERY interesting information and very illustrative of why we need to get the library system out of the Mayor/Council budget process and into their own dedicated funding source.

[JayBird]

Trustee Wood restated what Mr. Hansen said that if the Board does not submit a FY14 budget that meets the 13.88% cut, the remainder could be arbitrarily cut with no input from the Board. Trustee Hardesty noted that the Board needs to provide framework that shows legitimacy as a Board.

Now I understand a little better about the scenario.  Mayor Brown is just demanding across the board cuts, which happens in every city across the country if they're good mayors, and the library has chosen this is the best place to cut.  They want to rile up the community to usher support for them to the mayors office so that when they present a budget that isn't 13.whatever % cut he won't close the libraries.  So basically the library board is using the community to so its dirty work.  Nothing wrong with that, politics as usual, just a little disappointing.  The bottom line, if they have their own funding source, it would stop the need for such antics.

Does Jacksonville Library have any branch support groups?  For instance, here in Clay County each library has a Friends of (Insert Branch) in which the people who use that branch get to support it and advocate for programs in their specific branch. The only way any library will succeed, in my opinion, is if it proactively asserts itself into the community that its in.

[JayBird]

Ugh the Jumbotron again ... Even though the money CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAN SOMETHING FOR THE STADIUM, BY LAW people still grab onto that one darn line. Regardless of what one thinks about those giant screens, they have no bearing on any budget talk unless you are talking about improvements to Everbank Field.

And personally, I feel that even though 13% seems high, that's just good business. It allows each agency the opportunity to examine where they can streamline costs and operate more efficiently.  Now idk about the reasoning behind it, but if just pandering to the unions than that should brought up again when he runs for re-election.

[Tacachale]

Trustee Wood restated what Mr. Hansen said that if the Board does not submit a FY14 budget that meets the 13.88% cut, the remainder could be arbitrarily cut with no input from the Board. Trustee Hardesty noted that the Board needs to provide framework that shows legitimacy as a Board.

Now I understand a little better about the scenario.  Mayor Brown is just demanding across the board cuts, which happens in every city across the country if they're good mayors, and the library has chosen this is the best place to cut.  They want to rile up the community to usher support for them to the mayors office so that when they present a budget that isn't 13.whatever % cut he won't close the libraries.  So basically the library board is using the community to so its dirty work.  Nothing wrong with that, politics as usual, just a little disappointing.  The bottom line, if they have their own funding source, it would stop the need for such antics.

Does Jacksonville Library have any branch support groups?  For instance, here in Clay County each library has a Friends of (Insert Branch) in which the people who use that branch get to support it and advocate for programs in their specific branch. The only way any library will succeed, in my opinion, is if it proactively asserts itself into the community that its in.

Not quite right. By law the mayor has to present a balanced budget, and he's got something cooked up, but it relies on his pension reform deal getting passed. He's threatening the across the board cuts to services if the pension deal isn't passed (since he won't consider raising taxes). Obviously the mayor's preferred goal is to get his pension reform passed rather than implementing the cuts (for the time being, anyway). Unfortunately, a number of parties have identified problems with the pension deal, but at this point the libraries are caught in the crossfire.

[thelakelander]

Ugh the Jumbotron again ... Even though the money CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAN SOMETHING FOR THE STADIUM, BY LAW people still grab onto that one darn line. Regardless of what one thinks about those giant screens, they have no bearing on any budget talk unless you are talking about improvements to Everbank Field.

I was under the impression that the City had no idea of where the money for the stadium upgrades was coming from.  Did something change?

[nandrewsn]

Government is not a business! It should not operate as a business. People's benefits should not be measured by profit or loss. It should be measured by how much benefits people will get out of them. Libraries benefit the public in so many ways. They create a civilized society.
Again, there are so many people who cannot afford getting internet at home. They cannot have cable or dish either. Minimum wages earners cannot afford paying all these bills. Internet access is considered too expensive for so many people in this town.
Go to any library and see how many people use the computers. Sometimes, people judge by the way they live not by seeing or observing the others.
Libraries are so important to so many residents in Duval county. In addition, television does not provide culture. The only channel that might provide culture is PBS. People need to read and read different types of books in order to be cultured.
Many people ride the bus to go to a library. If one is closed, it will be hard for them to go to another one. Those people will have to ride two or three buses to get to one.
BTW, I hardly go to the libraries myself because I like to own the books. However, not because I can afford paying for books, I should forget about the other people. Not because I can drive few miles to go to another library, I should forget about the other people.
In order the city can move forward, it needs to spend on education and culture. Open minded people are cultured people.
Again, if we use profits to measure everything, we would have closed bridges, parks, and many things. People are more important than profits.

[JayBird]

Ugh the Jumbotron again ... Even though the money CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAN SOMETHING FOR THE STADIUM, BY LAW people still grab onto that one darn line. Regardless of what one thinks about those giant screens, they have no bearing on any budget talk unless you are talking about improvements to Everbank Field.

I was under the impression that the City had no idea of where the money for the stadium upgrades was coming from.  Did something change?

Discussed at length in another thread

[JayBird]

Well in my book running like a business isn't solely for profit.  We run our prison ministry like a business and make no financial profit, as a matter of fact the IRS strictly forbids making a profit.  It means operating a financially stabilized enterprise. For so long government across the board has operated on the idea that the money will come from somewhere, lets build this and worry about the cost later. Whereas this is something that should be done in every government, because there is always extra padding that can be trimmed.  That would mean more money to somewhere else.

Everyone on this thread, for once, agree that our libraries are important to the community and shouldn't be closed barring some incident of gross negligence.  If that is any indication of the actual community, than there will be some way they can survive.

[thelakelander]

Ugh the Jumbotron again ... Even though the money CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAN SOMETHING FOR THE STADIUM, BY LAW people still grab onto that one darn line. Regardless of what one thinks about those giant screens, they have no bearing on any budget talk unless you are talking about improvements to Everbank Field.

I was under the impression that the City had no idea of where the money for the stadium upgrades was coming from.  Did something change?

Discussed at length in another thread

I saw the thread about using money from the bed tax.  However, after that discussion took place, there was an article mentioning the city had not figured out where all the money would come from.  Speaking of the bed tax, that's the money many looked at as a source to fund the construction of a new convention center a few years back.  So, I guess that issue still remains in limbo, meaning modifying the JRTC plan is in limbo as well.  Overall, all of these things are connected in some sort of fashion.  You just have to follow the bread crumbs.

[JayBird]

Government, though, is not a business.  It doesnt run at a profit.  It doesnt observe the same rules and it has different goals.

From Wikipedia http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business

A business (also known as enterprise or firm) is an organization involved in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers.

Hmm, nothing about profit.  Could a government not considered an enterprise in the trade of services?

I think thats one of the reasons that Ive gotten so out of step with my native Republican Party roots.  This call for responsible government seems to be more about making government services the same thing as a profitmaking venture.  Cut corners, screw the little guy, make decisions based on the risk factors involved with litigation etc.  Its a sickness and will be the fatal infection of the modern conservatives.  There was never supposed to be a disconnect between doing the right thing and doing the cheap thing.

I believe changing right for cheap was a product of citizens wanting their cake and eating it too. We all want the best services for not as much as money as they probably should be.  Then, being that the people who make those decisions are reliant upon the people to continually elect them, which means they need to be pleased.  One may also say that the framers of our government never intended for it to be a career, yet there are still no term limits for most positions. 

Its supposed to be about stewardship.  How to get through the uncertain times and events with something worth keeping left intact on the other side.  We pass on our achievements, and our infrastructure, and or heritage so that each generation doesnt have to pay for these things all over again, because it was done right the first time.

I completely agree, however the same could be applied to a corporation with whom an employee worked 30 years for and now has children and grandchildren working there.  Uncommon nowadays though, which may be proof of the tear in the fabric of 'community' as it used to be.

Sometimes I think we lose track of that with all this discussion about governments that are supposed to suddenly act like businesses.

I feel we get sidetracked by politicians whom try to manipulate our perceptions so that they can reap the benefits of a 'business' instead of actually doing so for the service to the community.

But that set aside, our government is a participatory kind of a thing. Here at the city level we aren't supposed to just elect people to office and then check in every four years.  You have to stay invovled with each of the issues and register whether or not the decision making process is what you want out of it.

Once again, agreed but with one addendum. Some things are just because they are.  No amount of complaining, rioting, picketing, soapboxing, or general disruptions will change that.  I think each and every person should be able to recognize those times, and step back and work on how to adapt.  Then, when that person comes up for reelection, pull that little nugget out of your hat and bean them in the head with it.  Otherwise, every one complains, but psychologically we've purged that from our system. So when they come up for reelection those upset feelings have already been tempered and we are okay with allowing them to stay.  Then complain when it's the same old, same old. Vicious cycle.

And when the process is driven by this kind of reasoning, then you get in there and you call shenanigans.

I wish everyone felt this way, the world would've/could've been and might yet be a better place.

[cracklow]

A comment from the minutes recorded- is it not more of a problem that various departments are more fiscally responsible in their budgeting, but the flat cut does not take that into account? e.g., Parks & Rec clearly is playing the game to get their budget increased despite the cuts, whereas the library budget submitted was honest, and here we are.

Trustee Anderson asked about the discrepancy in the percentage of cuts from different departments. He specifically highlighted the Parks Department which submitted a “lights-on” budget for FY14 that is 34.79% higher than their FY13 budget and that the 13.88% cut was taken from that higher number which actually gives them a significant increase (23.87%) in their FY14 budget from their FY13 budget. He pointed out that the library had submitted a true “lights-on” budget of what it would take to remain at the same service levels as F13 into FY14 which resulted in a submission of 4.45% less than the FY13 budget. The 13.88% cut was taken from that lower number resulting in a net reduction in the FY14 budget requiring the closing of some libraries. Mr. Hansen responded that the budget office cannot control what each department submits.

So what action can legitimately be taken around this?

[mtraininjax]

Good link from Seth Godin on the end of books, included in this are libraries, some interesting thinking....

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/08/an-end-of-books.html

[Dog Walker]

Funny, most of our libraries are still heavily used especially on the weekends.

[Tacachale]

The modern library is more than just books, it's also computer and Internet access (which not everyone has), educational programs, ebooks and more. That guy's full of it.