Dysmey Blog Archives  >  local library threat, part 3

local library threat, part 3

The recommendations of the local government commission have reached the eyes of the American Library Association, which published a news article on the threatened consolidations in Library Journal (1 February 2008, v. 133, n. 2, p. 15.) with the subtitle, Commission says 239 library districts could become 92. What makes anything think that is going to happen? Especially since most property taxes go to schools, where the locals' kids go and where the locals have the most stake.

To quote part of the article: The report also questions maintaining the power of public library board members, who are not elected, to tax or issue bonds. It recommends requiring that the budgets and bonds of library districts be approved by the fiscal body of the municipal government containing the greatest proportion of assessed value cutting out the autonomy currently enjoyed by smaller library districts. Again, this is going to cause trouble because, in Fairmount's case, this will pit the Fairmount Town Board against the same state Department of Local Government Finance that approves the town's budget.

Again, this assumes that findings of the commission will be acted upon. There will be no action this year because the Indiana General Assembly is trying to concentrate on property-tax relief to the exclusion of all else. The commission's work will not be looked at until 2009, by which time we may have a new governor and new General Assembly.


Posted on the Dysmey Blog on 31 January 2008.