Letters to the Editor
Thursday, February 26, 2009 10:43 AM PST
Letting the library board have the building makes perfect sense
Editor,
After watching for some time now the battle back and forth over the library, I feel it is time to speak up. I think it is time to stop looking at the library as a “revenue source” for the city ” a place to make money. To my way of thinking, we should give the library back to the citizens of Ontario who have already paid for it once and have elected a board of directors to run it for us and let them do so without their hands tied behind their backs! Cut the apron strings, and let it fly on its own ” to sink or swim. My bet is that if you’ll give it a chance, it will fly. But let’s help it to do so by giving them a building to work with up front without having to make huge payments to “Big Brother” all the time. Turning the building over to the board, to be operated by perfectly competent people, makes perfect sense. One idea the council has is that they think they need to recoup the money paid by the taxpayers of the city to build the building in the first place, so there will be money to replace the building when this one wears out. Let the library board come forth with a plan to set aside a fairly sizeable amount each year in a “building fund” to replace the building when that time comes. Of course, they must not “spend it along the way,” either. I firmly believe that if a poll were taken of all the citizens of Ontario, the majority would agree with this plan. Come on, folks, speak up if you think this is a good idea.
Glen Banner
Ontario
