View Full Version : war over our new library
Wow I have never seen an issue divide a small town like this new library is doing. I am sure this happens from time to time in small towns, but what a hullaballoo.
One side has a petition with a lot of signatures on it. The other side has council onside. Where this goes is anyone's business, but it brings out the nastiness in people.
The side I am on is trying to take the high road; but it is sometimes very hard.
Did you ever get involved in something like this in your town? How did it end? Thanks
Wow I have never seen an issue divide a small town like this new library is doing. I am sure this happens from time to time in small towns, but what a hullaballoo.
One side has a petition with a lot of signatures on it. The other side has council onside. Where this goes is anyone's business, but it brings out the nastiness in people.
The side I am on is trying to take the high road; but it is sometimes very hard.
Did you ever get involved in something like this in your town? How did it end? Thanks
We've had contentious issues in our neighborhood. The worst one in my time was the basketball court in the Park. That was more than 10 years ago and a few people on opposite sides still hate some on the other side.
The contentious issue here 30 years ago was sending a local sculptor to Italy for a summer in order for him to come back and sculpt a stautue of the Marquis De Lafayette. Oldtimers say that was divisive and nasty and people did not speak. That sculptor did end up going to Italy but my neighborhood didn't pay his expense. He made world wide news when he leaped on a man who was defacing Michelangelo's Pieta:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20123982,00.html
I'm sorry to say that the county library wanted to open a branch in a nearby town and it has so far been stopped from happening because some people are afraid it will cause more traffic congestion on the main street. The closest two libraries at present are a 45 minute drive away, and one of them is in another county, although some of us are allowed to use it depending on where we live. My own township has refused to put any money into another, borough-owned library in an adjacent town which now charges us out-of-town residents for a year's membership. Due to lack of funds, it really isn't a very good library and I didn't renew my card after the first year.
Thank goodness for Kindles and online libraries.
flowerseverywhere
3-25-12, 8:07pm
our library was a big issue but we have a strong friends of the library and unlike many towns our library is connected to our school taxes. Every house that is in our school district pays a small tax to the library. It greatly increases the value of the community and also is a gathering place. It is full of tutors with kids, kids with stacks of books, computer classes and we have a brand new computer lab someone got the grant for. Of course, some people only come for the huge movie selection but it keeps the doors open for the rest of us.
It wasn't really that contentious when it was built because it was when the coffers were overflowing unlike now. Also, many companies donated.
Our big fight now is the YMCA. Some of the hateful lies that have been said in letters and meetings make me gasp. A lot of it is NIMBY, one woman said she didn't want riff-raff drawn so close to here house. I don't know if it will be built or not but at our last election all the sitting town officers were replaced with pro-Y members so there will be more to come.
My Grandma's hometown had a big dust-up about the new library. I have no idea what the details are, but I know my grandma was lobbying for one space and other people were lobbying for another. My grandma did not win and now refuses to have her funeral at the Presbyterian church, I guess because the pastor there wanted the library at the other location. I don't get that, but whatever.
Bastelmutti
3-29-12, 9:09am
In our town it is a war over a new school. Normally a school would be a slam dunk for me, but this one had so many complicated issues attached. After hearing about some dubious moves with statistics and the budget by the school administration, thinking about the city's economic situation & working through some sticky discussions of desegregation/re-segregation and busing (people of all races were on both sides of the issue, so no easy throwing of the race card this time), I ended up voting no. And that pained me, since I am in the less well-off half of town (new school proposed in another not very well-off area) & I am normally for bringing more services to our end of town. The measure was ultimately defeated, but we've been promised that it's not dead, and the promoters are going to keep working at it. Yay.
Our local contentious issue is - which high school to close due to declining enrolment. Our girls went through the consequences of such an issue in their high school years. The nearest was not able to offer all the classes so kids went to larger schools as they are doing here which means declining which means less funding which accelerates the declinement.
That said, when a community loses its high school, it becomes less attractive to incoming families with kids who want to participate in school activities.
Are we talking about the Renton/King County Library? If so, yes, there has been a big "blow up" on the issue. Those who want to leave the library where it currently resides have gotten enough signatures (mentioned in today's Renton Patch article) to put the issue back on the ballot again. I've been in Renton since 1992 and have never seen anything quite like this revolt.
no we are in Canada, but a petition IS involved.
My local village library is a lovely place, and is one of the most-used, per capita, libraries in the state, probably due to a combination of our remote location and over-educated population. I like it quite a bit, and my family and I use it several times a week.
However, I am opposed to its funding mechanism. It is funded via our property taxes. I would much rather see it supported by private philanthropy, service fees, and subscription fees. I do not think it right for me to advocate the use of government force to tax my fellow citizens to support my interests. Even if the cause is good. So to that end, I support the library financially, but oppose its bond requests and property tax levy increase requests.
I am not the only member of the community that believes this way. Several years back, the library wanted to float a combination of a large bond and a tax increase to fund an expansion of the facility. It would have built a palace of a library, which sure would have been nice, but it would not have been the right thing to do. There were heated discussions, and the bond/increase was denied by the voters.
Interestingly, one of the arguments used in favor of the tax increase was "roughly half of the people who own property here don't vote here, as they are second homes/retirement homes, and their houses are the most expensive and thus already pay most of the property taxes, so we can just tax them more to pay for this, and they really can't do anything about it." I found that repulsive.
well our new library will be paid for as much as possible by grants from the government, private donations etc. But we will have to come back to the public to ask them for money for the shortfall. It will be in form of property taxes.
I don't really see why my taxes should pay for schools, a running track, a new harbour, a recreation complex but not a library. All funding structures are probably different, but I think a library is for public use and public good. It is hard though, when these monies affect the taxpayers.
I don't really see why my taxes should pay for schools, a running track, a new harbour, a recreation complex but not a library.
I don't see why your taxes should pay for any of those :-)
I'm in the process of converting our local port district to funding itself entirely through use/service/lease fees, and not keep sticking our local taxpayers with supporting runways and hangers directly used by a very small portion of the population. It's essential to have an airport here, but it needs to pay its way.
San Onofre Guy
3-29-12, 3:57pm
New Library? What is that? Where?
are there places where the city doesn't provide funding for parks, museums, libraries, harbours, etc.? I would love to know. Thanks
bae how are you doing this?
bae how are you doing this?
I ran for an elected position that oversees the port district, won, and now just have to convince two other officials to examine our budget, which they seem inclined to do. It was a timely moment, as many of the leases and fees were up for renewal over the next several years. And the fees we were charging were very much below market rate, resulting in the taxpayers subsidizing operations silently via their property taxes. The hope is that we can achieve more transparency in pricing...
Gotta start somewhere.
Any publicly supported entities that are going forward in bond issues or increased taxation in this day had better be
1) pretty damned needy
2) able to prove it
It's unlikely I will ever vote for another school bond issue again. Too many years of too much abuse here in my city and despite one of the highest per pupil costs in the state, they still can't get accredited. And their population is dropping. No need for additional monies, folks.
Any publicly supported entities that are going forward in bond issues or increased taxation in this day had better be
1) pretty damned needy
2) able to prove it
It's unlikely I will ever vote for another school bond issue again. Too many years of too much abuse here in my city and despite one of the highest per pupil costs in the state, they still can't get accredited. And their population is dropping. No need for additional monies, folks.
I'm skeptical of school referendums too IL. The last one we had here was a total money grab. One of the things they wanted money for was to turn "The Link", an area between the old and new building where students have sat on the floor and studied for 30 years, into an official student lounge with couches and vending machines and computers. Um. No. I went to that school and those kids can sit on the floor just like I did and goof off. I don't need to pay more taxes for that, thanks. They also wanted a fourth gym for a high school that has about 500 kids because the superintendent's girlfriend's school was borrowing our gym for her girls sports teams. If the neighboring district needs a new gym, they can pay for it.
I don't have a problem with funding reasonable things for schools, but we need to be realistic.
We've had a history of school district abuses here, too. Like the state superintendent of public instruction who first spent thousands of dollars to furnish her office (including a $7000 desk, IIRC*), then defiantly charged several unnecessary overseas trips--complete with retinue--to the taxpayers. Later, millions of special levy dollars earmarked for school roof replacements and books was inexplicably "lost." So far, we haven't had any library malfeasance and we get more than our money's worth there. I admit I often neglect to vote on school levies as my impulse--given the track record and sky high taxes--is to vote them down.
*$11,000. Rosewood.
In our community, every several years there is a movement to "secede" from the city we are part of. Each time it is like civil war and results in neighbors and family members not talking to one another. The last time was over a year ago. My husband was very active on the "don't secede" side and, although I completely stayed out of the fray, there are people who still won't talk to ME because of his position. It is a very small community and I will literally pass these people on the sidewalk and they refuse to say hello. Unbelievable.
In our community, every several years there is a movement to "secede" from the city we are part of. Each time it is like civil war and results in neighbors and family members not talking to one another. The last time was over a year ago. My husband was very active on the "don't secede" side and, although I completely stayed out of the fray, there are people who still won't talk to ME because of his position. It is a very small community and I will literally pass these people on the sidewalk and they refuse to say hello. Unbelievable.
Succession is a big deal. During the Civil War era my city seceded from the county, and now we are a city standing alone, are not in a county.
Efficiency minded people think that it would be great now for the city to merge back into the country and not run so many duo-service departments, but that will happen only when we are all dead and gone, even though I favor that movement. It just won't happen.
It's always astonishing to me how much energy people are willing to devote to holding grudges. Grudges, prejudices, and hatreds that very likely erode their health and lead to an early death.
No ballot issue is that damned important to me, y'know?
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