Better Libraries, Please
Last week, Save Jax Libraries, an activist group dedicated to, well, saving Jacksonville's libraries, announced that it had obtained the 25,931 validated signatures it needs to add an initiative to the Aug. 16 ballot to establish an independent library district.
This marks the first straw ballot to clear this hurdle in
city history.
And it's a good thing. Let us explain: Right now, the Jacksonville Public Library receives funding from the city's general fund. But every year, the activists say, that pot leaks more and more and the libraries see less and less. That potentially means branch closings, shorter hours and fewer resources
Based on a 2012 proposal by the Jacksonville Community Council, they want to give the library
a dedicated funding source not privy to the whims
of politicians – in 2013, the city gave $9 million
more toward EverBank Field ($43 million) than its entire library system ($34 million), because priorities.
While the ballot initiative would create a special taxing district, that doesn't necessarily mean
new taxes. Rather, it just means that an independent board would have control over the library's resources.
"The money the libraries receive is a kind of ‘use it or lose it' situation," says Missy Jackson, a Friends of the Murray Hill Library board member. "With this option, we would see the unused money rolled over into the next fiscal year, making it more beneficial to the library system and the communities that use it."
If the straw ballot initiative passes in August, the second and final referendum could come as early as Nov. 4, provided the Jacksonville City Council and the Florida Legislature both sign off on it.
http://folioweekly.com/St-Augustine-Record-Worst-Newspaper-Ever,8851
No comments:
Post a Comment