Fairhope, Alabama
Update: At a subsequent council meeting counilmembers present did not support any changes.
SAVINGS QUESTIONED
At the Library Board of Trustees meeting last week (March 13th), chairman Martin Lanaux read a statement formally responding to mayor Wilson's proposal in her FY2017 budget presentation to the city council a week earlier for the city to assume operational control of the library:
"The Board of Trustees does not support the proposal to make the library a department of the city. The library director and members of her staff have been carefully reviewing the draft budget and have found omissions and faulty assumptions; they are preparing a report that we strongly feel will show that making the library a department of the city will offer no savings for the city. The board believes that an independent library board best serves the interests of the community ... ."
Lanaux added that "even if the assumptions were correct, which we feel they are not, the savings being proposed are not worth changing to city control. It needs to be an autonomous and independent entity free from politics best served by a board with the best interests of the library at heart."
(See the full video at the bottom of this page.)
POTENTIAL SAVINGS OF $118K THIS YEAR?
During her budget presentation to the city council on March 9th, Mayor Wilson calculated the savings if the library were a city department to be about $118K this year -- including an additional $50K the library would keep for "youth and adult material."
The savings would come from eliminating duplication of maintenance and other services, and reduction of various personnel-related expenses, she said.
The Times asked by e-mail for further comments from the mayor and council president Burrell but received no reply.
A majority of the legislative body, the city council, would have to vote to convert the library to a city department. Library Board's are authorized under Alabama law code 11 - 90 - 3 (click).
MAYOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET SAVINGS:
LIBRARY BOARD'S RESPONSE:
Update: At a subsequent council meeting counilmembers present did not support any changes.
 |
| Chairman Lanaux second from right |
SAVINGS QUESTIONED
At the Library Board of Trustees meeting last week (March 13th), chairman Martin Lanaux read a statement formally responding to mayor Wilson's proposal in her FY2017 budget presentation to the city council a week earlier for the city to assume operational control of the library:
"The Board of Trustees does not support the proposal to make the library a department of the city. The library director and members of her staff have been carefully reviewing the draft budget and have found omissions and faulty assumptions; they are preparing a report that we strongly feel will show that making the library a department of the city will offer no savings for the city. The board believes that an independent library board best serves the interests of the community ... ."Lanaux added that "even if the assumptions were correct, which we feel they are not, the savings being proposed are not worth changing to city control. It needs to be an autonomous and independent entity free from politics best served by a board with the best interests of the library at heart."
(See the full video at the bottom of this page.)
POTENTIAL SAVINGS OF $118K THIS YEAR?
 |
| Budget presentation |
The savings would come from eliminating duplication of maintenance and other services, and reduction of various personnel-related expenses, she said.
The Times asked by e-mail for further comments from the mayor and council president Burrell but received no reply.
A majority of the legislative body, the city council, would have to vote to convert the library to a city department. Library Board's are authorized under Alabama law code 11 - 90 - 3 (click).
MAYOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET SAVINGS:
LIBRARY BOARD'S RESPONSE:
Comments
That statement is absolutely false! Most of those members do not care about the interests of the Library: patrons and staff. They only care about having a title especially the Board president, considering at the last city council/town hall meetings, he made it crystal clear his intense animosity towards Mayor Wilson....Gee, because his store is closed and she had more business? Someone is jealous!
I must also add that I too feel the mayor is power hungry and wants to undo many things that are working. What she needs to do is focus more on the problems and less of change for the sake of change.
Personally, I'd like to see the city move to a council-manager form of government. The council could pass a resolution declaring this and then hold a referendum which the citizens could then vote for the change.
There would still be a mayor but the mayor would be more for cutting ribbons and kissing babies. The council would select the manager, and this manager would carry out the ordinances as passed.
The council would be required to have districts drawn to be voted in, this allows every area in the city to have a say in government. Also, the manager shall have no business ties to the city so conflict-of-interest are removed.
As of today, the mayor is worried about her business and how it will be affected, as she should. The council could not all live in the same area thus protecting only that area, but if this new form of government is formed, then they will have to be elected by districts.
This will save money, and keep things consistent. Each time a new mayor is elected things would not be changed for political reasons.
There is no doubt the mayor wants to do good, but what really bothers me is she hired her friend at such a high salary, and her friend has an inflated resume and has not held a position for more than a few years. Her friend has very mixed results, if any, and anyone can have a few years of success but what have they done through a complete business cycle. Her friend has never worked through a complete business cycle.
In less than 10 years everything will be digital. No need for buildings or employees.
Try and keep up Fairhope.
http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/stories/fairhope-mayor-gets-two-new-staff-members,44693
http://local15tv.com/news/local/fairhope-to-spend-100k-per-year-on-two-new-city-positions
http://local15tv.com/news/local/fairhope-to-spend-100k-per-year-on-two-new-city-positions
You would be very wrong in your assumption.
#baldwincountybubble
What the experts failed to understand is artificial intelligence (AI) can not create morals or can it solve societies problems, much of the human language is body language and AI can only take verbal commands, yes, it can make life more productive.
Again, if anyone travels out to Las Vegas, go to the new UNLV library. Unbelievable and three times the size of the older one!
New articles and books are digitized but when searching for seminal work, one will find most of this is still in print!
"The library director and members of her staff have been carefully reviewing the draft budget and have found omissions and faulty assumptions; they are preparing a report that we strongly feel will show that making the library a department of the city will offer no savings for the city."