Fate of library in limbo — again
By Larry Meyer - Argus Observer
Friday, April 20, 2007 1:02 PM PDT
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| Area elected leaders still face a number of funding challenges regarding the Malheur County Library. Funding for the facility runs out July 1. |
ONTARIO - Current funding for the Malheur County Library from the city of Ontario and the county runs out July 1, but library officials, optimistic more money will be available, have prepared a budget for the next fiscal year.
Darlyne Johnson, head librarian at the facility, said Ontario officials are searching to find money to operate the facility into the future.
“They are working on budgets now,” Johnson said. “They are working to see what they can do.”
A citywide local option tax proposal is still in limbo, Johnson said. City officials, she said, are unsure whether they will move ahead on a tax plan.
Johnson said she prepared a budget for the city which proposes an operating figure of $162,000 for one year or $324,000 for a biennium. Johnson said she will meet with Malheur County leaders May 8 to discuss funding options.
Two attempts were made in 2006 to establish and fund a countywide library district, which would have operated the three public libraries in Ontario, Nyssa and Vale. However, neither measure received enough votes to pass, even though the primary measure received the majority of “yes” votes.
After receiving almost all of its funding for the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year from the county, Ontario and county officials agreed to fund limited library operations through the end of 2006, pending the outcome of the library district votes.
Following the defeats of those measures, city and county officials agreed to fund the library through June 30 to give Ontario elected and appointed leaders time to make the library a city-operated facility entirely, with a goal of submitting a citywide local option tax measure to voters this year.
The Ontario City Council chose the September election to seek a tax levy because members believed the May election was too soon to get information out. Meanwhile, Johnson has been working to stretch her budget as far as possible.
“We cut staff hours, we cut the hours we’re open,” she said. There are five paid employees at the library, two of them at 35 hours, one at 15 hours and two at five hours, Johnson said, and there are normally about seven volunteers. Ruth Metz, a consultant funded by the Oregon State Library, will be in Malheur County this month to work with officials to consider a number of options to keep the library open.
No Dhimmi wrote on Aug 14, 2009 9:38 PM:
And this isn't "racist," because Islam is not a race, anymore than Communism or Nazism are races, both of which killed far fewer people than Islam.
Disgusting. "