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I was very pleased to have been a part of the building of the Nevada County Library system during my eight years on the Nevada County Board of Supervisors.
When it became apparent that the old main library was becoming overcrowded, overused, and inaccessible to a large segment of this county, my colleagues on the board in the late 1980s made a commitment to the residents of this county: A modern, functional library system is essential to any vibrant community.
There was never a contemplation that the library would someday be run by a cold-blooded corporation a continent away in Maryland or any other out-of-community group. No way, no how.
We live in a small community. We know the law enforcement officers, the firemen, the teachers and the librarians. Their kids go to our schools, grow up to play sports with us, pay taxes with us, and vote in our elections.
They are part of the weave of our community cloth.
I know some communities that have farmed out their police protection, their fire protection, their schools and their libraries to for-profit corporations. To a person they have not been happy with the results. It may make the county's books look better, but the residents and the community are poorer for it.
Times are tough. Things are being cut back. If you have to reduce hours, services and payroll, that's the way it goes. But for us to even contemplate bringing in hired guns to run our library is a travesty and a shame upon us all.
We suffered through the county budget cuts of the Gov. Wilson era that were at least as severe, if not more so, than the current cuts and somehow we managed to keep the county going without resorting to outside contract schemes. I expect the same from those of you who sit in the chair I used to sit in.
Jim Weir is a retired District 3 supervisor.
When it became apparent that the old main library was becoming overcrowded, overused, and inaccessible to a large segment of this county, my colleagues on the board in the late 1980s made a commitment to the residents of this county: A modern, functional library system is essential to any vibrant community.
There was never a contemplation that the library would someday be run by a cold-blooded corporation a continent away in Maryland or any other out-of-community group. No way, no how.
We live in a small community. We know the law enforcement officers, the firemen, the teachers and the librarians. Their kids go to our schools, grow up to play sports with us, pay taxes with us, and vote in our elections.
They are part of the weave of our community cloth.
I know some communities that have farmed out their police protection, their fire protection, their schools and their libraries to for-profit corporations. To a person they have not been happy with the results. It may make the county's books look better, but the residents and the community are poorer for it.
Times are tough. Things are being cut back. If you have to reduce hours, services and payroll, that's the way it goes. But for us to even contemplate bringing in hired guns to run our library is a travesty and a shame upon us all.
We suffered through the county budget cuts of the Gov. Wilson era that were at least as severe, if not more so, than the current cuts and somehow we managed to keep the county going without resorting to outside contract schemes. I expect the same from those of you who sit in the chair I used to sit in.
Jim Weir is a retired District 3 supervisor.
