News
Among all the problems that the Board of Supervisors has in dealing with the county's budget during this difficult time, it appears that the situation with the Nevada County libraries is the one that is attracting the most attention. The public's interest and concern in what is happening to their libraries and the possibility of outsourcing its operation is not surprising in light of their decision to provide a separate and direct source of funding for the library system by twice voting overwhelmingly to approve a sales tax increase to accomplish it.
Nonetheless, the decision of the Board of Supervisors to investigate the feasibility of outsourcing the operation of the library system is the type of decision we expect of our legislators. Their responsibility is to provide the citizens of Nevada County the level of service they need and want at the lowest cost possible. If they didn't do that, we would be just as concerned.
However, in the process of evaluating the proposals for outsourcing and how they compare to the plan proposed by the County Librarian, I'm sure all of us who support that plan hope that the supervisors take more into consideration besides any short-term cost savings that may be available. For example:
1) All county and municipal departments have had to make severe cuts in their levels of service to the public in the past two years. The public has accepted and adapted to these cuts and understood their necessity. There is no evidence that the public would not accept the County Librarian's plan and simply adapt to the library services available. While it is true that two small libraries would be closed, the three main libraries would still be available to anyone who cares to go to the library. It is entirely possible that the same number of library patrons could be served with the revised setup.
2) We currently have an experienced, educated and dedicated library staff. Nothing in the outsourcing proposal requires that the contractor maintain any of the current job requirement specifications relative to library education and experience. It only requires the contractor to hire “qualified” staff personnel. The decision on who is “qualified” is totally up to the contractor. While the contractor is required to interview all current staff personnel who wish to continue with the library, there is no assurance that any of the more highly educated and qualified employees would wish to stay, especially at the lower compensation package that is inevitable and, in fact, necessary for the contractor's proposal to be competitive.
Therefore, when the economy does recover and the library is in a position to increase its level of service, it will totally be up to the contractor and they won't have the core management staff that would be available under the County Librarian's proposal.
3) The County Admini-strator has stated that the current $400,000 shortfall may be just the tip of the iceberg since current sales tax projections show a continual decrease for the foreseeable future.
Given that scenario, I fail to see how outsourcing is any better a solution than staying with the current system. If there is going to be less money available to pay for the current library system, there's also going to be less money available to pay the contractor.
If there is another budget shortfall in 2010/11, is there any reason to believe that the contractor is not going to reduce their level of service to meet the funds available? Therefore, outsourcing is probably just a short-term solution because as a “for-profit” operation, the contractor isn't going to enter into any contract that will require them to absorb any deficits due to lack of funding.
In summary, the library budget shortfall is eminent and real and decisions have to be made to meet it. Not only for this year, but also for the anticipated funding available in the near future.
While outsourcing may be a good idea, it's not the best one. I am sure that most of the library's patrons and supporters would rather stick it out with the current system than turn it over to an unknown group of profit-seeking strangers.
Ronald P. Avanzino lives in Penn Valley.
Nonetheless, the decision of the Board of Supervisors to investigate the feasibility of outsourcing the operation of the library system is the type of decision we expect of our legislators. Their responsibility is to provide the citizens of Nevada County the level of service they need and want at the lowest cost possible. If they didn't do that, we would be just as concerned.
However, in the process of evaluating the proposals for outsourcing and how they compare to the plan proposed by the County Librarian, I'm sure all of us who support that plan hope that the supervisors take more into consideration besides any short-term cost savings that may be available. For example:
1) All county and municipal departments have had to make severe cuts in their levels of service to the public in the past two years. The public has accepted and adapted to these cuts and understood their necessity. There is no evidence that the public would not accept the County Librarian's plan and simply adapt to the library services available. While it is true that two small libraries would be closed, the three main libraries would still be available to anyone who cares to go to the library. It is entirely possible that the same number of library patrons could be served with the revised setup.
2) We currently have an experienced, educated and dedicated library staff. Nothing in the outsourcing proposal requires that the contractor maintain any of the current job requirement specifications relative to library education and experience. It only requires the contractor to hire “qualified” staff personnel. The decision on who is “qualified” is totally up to the contractor. While the contractor is required to interview all current staff personnel who wish to continue with the library, there is no assurance that any of the more highly educated and qualified employees would wish to stay, especially at the lower compensation package that is inevitable and, in fact, necessary for the contractor's proposal to be competitive.
Therefore, when the economy does recover and the library is in a position to increase its level of service, it will totally be up to the contractor and they won't have the core management staff that would be available under the County Librarian's proposal.
3) The County Admini-strator has stated that the current $400,000 shortfall may be just the tip of the iceberg since current sales tax projections show a continual decrease for the foreseeable future.
Given that scenario, I fail to see how outsourcing is any better a solution than staying with the current system. If there is going to be less money available to pay for the current library system, there's also going to be less money available to pay the contractor.
If there is another budget shortfall in 2010/11, is there any reason to believe that the contractor is not going to reduce their level of service to meet the funds available? Therefore, outsourcing is probably just a short-term solution because as a “for-profit” operation, the contractor isn't going to enter into any contract that will require them to absorb any deficits due to lack of funding.
In summary, the library budget shortfall is eminent and real and decisions have to be made to meet it. Not only for this year, but also for the anticipated funding available in the near future.
While outsourcing may be a good idea, it's not the best one. I am sure that most of the library's patrons and supporters would rather stick it out with the current system than turn it over to an unknown group of profit-seeking strangers.
Ronald P. Avanzino lives in Penn Valley.
