Library Responds To Mayor's Takeover Proposal

Fairhope, Alabama

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
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:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Who are the Library Board Members? I keep reading that they are all 'connected' to the city council and Mayor's office; however, I know at least one member of the Board and I don't believe that she is 'connected' to anything other than the betterment of the Fairhope Library and the City. I would love any clarification of the allegations circling the rumor mill. I truly believe that Mayor Wilson is trying to help taxpayers save whatever we can, but we also need to be sure to not throw the Library under the bus in case the Kant brigade wins office again and steals from that pot (as they did the utilities fund). I wish that Boone & Burrell would stop preening and begin working for the city. If they only knew how much they were the ones to whom everyone is referring as the 'Two Stooges'……….
Publisher said…
Current library board members are Martin Lanaux, Freda Ward, Dan Stankoski, Allison Knight, library director Tamara Dean and councilman Jimmy Conyers. There is one vacancy.
Anonymous said…
I worry that the mean mayor wants to fire all the good emplyees there to and replace them with her cronies and make Moser the director.
Publisher said…
Conyers is the council's representative, a non-voting member I believe.
Anonymous said…
"The board believes that an independent library board best serves the interests of the community."

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!
Anonymous said…
Stay strong city council and do not allow our incompetent, power hungry mayor to ruin the beautiful town we all love. She seems to want to undo everything that was working before she was "inaugurated".
Anonymous said…
Do we really need such a big library?
Anonymous said…
Having a good library actually brings 'others' into the city, and they generally spend money at the local restaurants. The better the library the more individuals will use it.

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.
Anonymous said…
Ya'll do know that libraries are going the way of retail malls, right?
In less than 10 years everything will be digital. No need for buildings or employees.
Try and keep up Fairhope.
Anonymous said…
Who is her friend? I have always supported our new Mayor and thought that she wanted the best for Fairhope. Are you sure that she has actually hired anyone? Please share what position and salary since you know. We deserve to know the facts. If this is true and Karin has actually hired a good friend that is not qualified, please let us know b/c, in that case, I am not on her side any longer.
Anonymous said…
So what? Kant only hired buddies and school chums.
Anonymous said…
Go the following links and read for yourself. AND the libraries will around long before you are gone, yes, they have digital access but the use of the library will never stop. Whoever post this is obviously does not have an advanced degree, most writings are never digitized.

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
Anonymous said…
Fairhope is fortunate to have such an outstanding library, and I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would question its value to the city. I am, however, disturbed by Karin's agenda and actions during her term in office and therefore cannot support her motion to control the library. Could the library be operated more efficiently? Perhaps.
Skunk Posey said…
It saddens me deeply to think there is even one person on this earth who thinks Martin Lanaux bears ill will toward anyone. Or that he and other Library Board members are taking the position reported in this article for any reason other than to make sure our Library is the best it can be. Anonymous, I encourage you to cast off your protective cloak, sit down with say Martin over coffee, and have an open and honest and respectful conversation.
Anonymous said…
"Go the following links and read for yourself. AND the libraries will around long before you are gone, yes, they have digital access but the use of the library will never stop. Whoever post this is obviously does not have an advanced degree, most writings are never digitized."

You would be very wrong in your assumption.
#baldwincountybubble
Anonymous said…
Not a city resident but do patron the library at times. As a self published author I don't agree libraries are obsolete. They are still needed by students for research the internet is not always reliable. Some people only have access to internet through libraries. There are many reasons for libraries and they don't need to be run by politics.
Anonymous said…
petty little fhope
Anonymous said…
Libraries are not obsolete but they are changing. Better uses for some of the space there could be found, perhaps as a community center.
Anonymous said…
Libraries are indeed changing. If one will go on a college campus that has a new library they will find much is digitized BUT the libraries are larger and have more rooms for research. Those that think this country will be totally digitized needs to review academic research articles from back in 1970's, they stated robots, i.e. artificial intelligence would rule us all by the 1990's. It predicted AI would take over the world by 2000. Well...

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!
Anonymous said…
LOL...it will take 30-50 years to digitize everything. They have been trying to do this for years...

New articles and books are digitized but when searching for seminal work, one will find most of this is still in print!
Anonymous said…
The library should remain separate from the city, no politics involved. Those that say the library is no longer pertinent, you must not have children that benefit from the wonderful programs offered for them at a very young age, you also must not partake in the many benefits offered to adults as well. A good library (and Fairhope is blessed with a good one) can be one of the strongest ties in a community. They also draw others in as well. Why belittle the value of something as wonderful as a library???
Anonymous said…
The following comment is included in this article. I would appreciate the publisher obtaining a copy of the library report mentioned, so the public can attempt to understand this situation.

"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."
Anonymous said…
A report from the library board of directors responding to the mayor's comments was to be provided, but I am unable to locate it on any website. Has anyone seen such report, and if so, please provide a link.