I attended the Library Board meeting July 9th and listened to the discussion of budget options and the logic expressed over decisions made. I heard very interesting arguments and discussion over the hardships being created with the proposed budget, along with justifications for the choices being made. David Peterson covered the meeting well in his article in yesterday's STrib.
However, what I found interesting was the unwillingness of MPL Board members, as a whole, to collectively address the long-term structural problems associated with the MPL budget. Several Board members touted the fact that, difficult as it was, they now had a balanced operating budget established through 2006. However, this complacency assumes a static fiscal environment in years ahead-- which, to my mind, is a highly unlikely scenario. The national and state economies remains very lethargic, business earnings are not robust, unemployment remains high and our state legislature will be under extreme pressure again next session to match revenues with expenditures. I think it extremely unlikely that local governments will not again experience cuts in state revenue streams, meaning the MPL will face added cuts again this time next year. All this while city property taxes continue to rise dramatically each year in order to cover past city account deficits and recent LGA cuts. We're between several big rocks and a very hard place. Yet, the MPL Board still must grapple with aspects of the overall budget associated with retaining all 14 community libraries, many in need of expensive repairs; some in need of elevators/etc. to make them accessible even before other improvements can be made. Granted, the 2000 referendum provides capital funds to make said repairs/renovations. [In fact, as many have stated, the referendum was passed by voters precisely because of the promised improvements to community libraries, language that was added to the referendum at the last minute to help assure passage.] However, an operating shortfall recognized at the time of the referendum, would have forced some operational cut backs even before the LGA cuts-- in other words, the capital and operating budgets were not structurally balanced back in '01. This situation remains, but has now been dramatically amplified by the LGA cuts. Now however, rather than deal forthrightly with the problem, I feel Board members, collectively, are sticking their heads in the sand. By committing to retain and improve ALL community libraries, the Board is locking itself into an operating scenario that assures continued declines in library services for Minneapolis residents into the foreseeable future. The structural budget imbalance will grow (due to the inflationary aspects of operating expenses), conventional funding streams will continue to decline, and there will be increasing pressure to raise taxes to keep libraries open. We will have newly remodeled libraries that remain closed most of the time, and the overall quality of the collection will decline. It's not a pretty scenario, but the only way to improve it is to deal with the issues in a realistic and forthright manner. Times change and we live in a dynamic environment. It's time to address these budget issues given today's realities, using realistic expectations of future revenue streams. A successful library system requires more than pretty buildings that are rarely open to the public-- it requires consistent, high quality service delivery in a cost effective manner. Tough decisions are never easy; this one is akin to retaining small class sizes in the public schools as operating revenues continue to decline. However, that's what leadership is all about- making the tough calls that assure the health of the larger system over time. The MPL Board meets again July 23rd to take more formal action on the budget. There is still time to take corrective action and strengthen the system over the longer term. Michael Hohmann Linden Hills TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
