re: Thrive, And The EBR Library System

quote:

---

The issue is that the library system is heavily over funded and extremely underutilized.

---

A common misconception:
The libraries' throughout EBR are "extremely underutilized".
This couldn't be further from the truth.

QUESTION:
i](for those who think our libraries are underutilized[/i])
How many vehicles pull into the library EVERY day?
"I think" its more than 500-800 cars a day. Most of those have more than 1 person.

TO THE OP: please provide traffic and door counts.

I respect your position and post.
However, we went down this road before. We were strong supporters of a library tax and it passed. Then the mayor used the new tax money to run the library and shifted the previous money into the general fund so that the libraries did not actually receive the increase at all.
We were shocked.
We have voted down all such emotional appeals from politicians ever since.
We listen. We nod politely. Then we vote against all such taxes. Every time.
You can thank Pat Screen for our perpetual distrust of anyone seeking money - even for good causes.
Our view is that we would prefer to just pay our own way for research, hobby opportunities and reading materials.
Frankly, I do not care if they close every library today.
Fix the roads and run basic parish services with the huge amount of money that we already give the parish and state.
Then there is the fact that drag queens and thinly veiled porn is what we are involuntarily funding and told that we have no right to dictate content. Consider this my input.

quote:

---

I respect you coming on here and stating that you are on the board and bringing an informed perspective to the debate. The problem I always see from post like yours is that it has a little bit of - I don't know if arrogance is the word, but you are certainly giving yourself more credit than what is due. It does not matter to people like me that you provide maker spaces, and study rooms, and all that - we know that whatever you do you do it well and that is why you have so many vocal supporters. The point is you have the money to do things so well while other services do not. Services we feel are more important to our area than someone being able to learn how to sew.

In other posts in the past people have shown the amount of money our library system brings in vs other comparable cities and by no surprise we spend more.

I would like to see crime, literacy, and poverty data from cities who spend disproportionately on their libraries like we do vs cities who spend their money on other services. I'm willing to bet the data shows that libraries don't justify the spending we give them. Because I refuse to believe that the kids that are going to go out and join a gang, steal a car, murder, or commit any other act of violence are currently in the libraries learning how to build robots.

You point to the senior services and that is wonderful - no complaint there, but isn't that why we have a Council on Aging? Why are we forced to pay for both?

The library proponents love to tout the fact that they have no debt and have reserves for future spending but they always say its because they are run so well and not because they are taking in more than they need. It's a dishonest approach to the discussion and because of that it has me wanting to vote to defund it completely. I don't, but that is the feeling I get when I hear you brag about how much money you have while the rest of the city struggles.

---

Damn. If I were gay, I'd ask you out.

So I'm a coward? If I quit, that position might well be filled by a lap dog who would support any ridiculous proposition this Metro Council might offer. Instead, I choose to stay and fight for what I believe is in the Library's, and the public's, best interest.

But I do have a question: how did you become such an expert and instant judge of character? How were you able to immediately realize I'm a coward with weak morals and no spine?

Please, share your clairvoyance with me, a mere mortal who attempts to judge others by the totality of one's words and actions, and not by one post or opinion.

This seems like good practice:

quote:

---

Yes, the Library does have a large fund balance (retained earnings for any financial accounting types), with a primary reason being outcomes such as the one that happened Saturday night. The library keeps one year of operating expenses in advance, or "in the bank" to ensure the continuity of operations. Without this reserve, the EBR Library System would, for all practical purposes, close on December 31. However, with the fund balance that is already in place, the Library Board will remain open in 2026, and will go back to citizens with a new proposal that will hopefully be more acceptable to the voting public.

---

This seems a little too conservative if most other similarly sized library systems issue bonds or take out loans to fund expansions and renovations......is that resulting in a lower than expected service level for tax payers that support library services?

quote:

---

With that said, this library system has NO DEBT. You won't find any bonds (loans) issued for the purpose of building, renovating, or operating this system. Every building or improvement is financed on a "pay-as-you-go" method. On the day a new building opens, or is rededicated after a renovation, that building is fully paid and is debt free. Regarding future construction (new or additional buildings), one relocation/rebuild is currently planned for the Delmont Gardens Branch, and one new, smaller, "satellite branch" will be erected if/when a planned multi-use/multi-purpose development at the old Earl K Long hospital site is launched.

---

At some point this goes beyond being credible, good stewards and potentially not serving the public adequately or aggressively enough. I'm not suggesting one or the other, but it's a debate that I have frequently with myself for other public and private sector entities including two that I'm personally involved with. Are we being too conservative? Are we not taking enough risks? Are we adequately demonstrating our value every day?

For many reasons, I think that Baton Rouge's park system (BREC) isn't adequately serving the taxpayers and they better step up their game before more people come to that conclusion. I am not sure I could argue the same for the Library system. Generally I'm impressed by the EBR library network, but I'm not sure enough taxpayers in EBR agree - and that's where there could be a problem.

If the library system was considered excellent by the majority of the taxpayers, there wouldn't be a need for yard signs to show support for the library system or to undermine a voter initiative that could reallocate funding away from the library system. The voters would not need to be reminded of the value the library system provides and the voter initiative would have failed by a much wider margin. It damn near passed.

Just my take.

Thank you for this thoughtful and informative post. Sadly, this region is full of a bunch of people who simply can’t wrap their brains around the fact that lending books is only a small portion of what 21st century libraries do.

quote:

---

I think the point of that post was that most of the patrons of the downtown library are homeless people

---

that isn’t true - I worked at that library for two years - during the summer we had summer camps twice a day, the daycares downtown brought their children for storytimes during the year, and many, many employees of city/parish use that library - we had to keep stats on our traffic - we used to have more people come in than the Greenwell Springs Regional branch

Like I told jizzface - saying libraries are not used or a waste is ignorant.

quote:

---

But I do have a question: how did you become such an expert and instant judge of character? How were you able to immediately realize I'm a coward with weak morals and no spine? Please, share your clairvoyance with me, a mere mortal who attempts to judge others by the totality of one's words and actions, and not by one post or opinion.

---

Easy. You said yourself that you gave up your principles. The very definition of a coward and should not be trusted to be on the Library Board.

quote:

---

ronniep1

---

You care to address this?

quote:

---

But what you agreed to in Thrive was that you could operate at 8.3 mills, and with $52.4M less in your fund balance.

Why would anyone vote for 10.5 mills in the future if you've already told us you can operate at 8.3?

---

You say the library board agreed to 8.3 mills.

My response is tremendous pressure was placed on this board by elected officials, those in positions of power that are above this board, to accept this "compromise." Doing otherwise would have decimated the EBR Parish Library System.

Pardon my attempt to be witty, and perhaps mildly sarcastic, but you say "poe-tay-toe," I say "poe-tah-toe."