Officials set agenda for library session

Thursday, March 5, 2009 10:13 AM PST

Ontario — City elected and appointed leaders do not plan to offer any input or present any issues for discussion during a meeting tonight regarding the fate of the town’s library building.

That message was delivered during the Malheur County Library Board of Trustees session Wednesday night.

“I encourage you all to the be there,” Library Board Chair Donnaclaire Blankinship said to the group of library and city officials.

The library session is slated for 6 p.m. today at Four Rivers Cultural Center.

At issue is whether the city should charge a fee for the voter-approved library district to use its current building or simply “gift” the structure to the district.

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Blankinship said TVCC Foundation Executive Director Cathy Yasuda would be moderating the event and would not be allowing any budget discussion and would be setting a “realistic” time limit for comments.

Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick also asked the board about a petition sponsored by the library district board and delivered to various Ontario business. The petition asks residents and merchants to sign up in support of the city gifting the library building to the district.

“You guys also agreed not to discuss the petition you have out,” Dominick said Wednesday night.

Blankinship said those petitions would not be presented at the meeting and would be brought to the council at a later date.

Dominick also talked about the meeting’s structure. He said there would not be a “head table” and that council members would be seated in the audience.

Malheur County Library Board of Trustees member Michael Jones asked if the meeting was going to be in a question-and-answer format. Dominick said it was not but would simply serve to inform the district board and the City Council about what people think.

“It’s real easy to lose control of these things,” Jones said.

Blankinship said she believed Yasuda would keep the meeting under control.

Ontario Public Library District Budget Committee Chairman Paul Erlebach asked what the purpose of the meeting was. Dominick reiterated the purpose was to listen and get input and that he was welcome to give his opinion.

“Listen, talk, gain input, see what minds can be changed,” Dominick said.

Blankinship expressed concern about the amount of repeated comments that could be made at the meeting.

“What we don’t want to hear is 115 people getting up and saying ‘rent it’ and then another 115 people saying “gift it,” she said.

Dominick said if someone makes a good point Yasuda would ask for a show of hands of people who agree with that point.

Blankinship said the meeting would also serve as a way to express other options that may be in the public mindset rather than only gifting it or renting it.

“Other ideas that are out there that we might not be aware of,” she said.

Dominick said the council would not be speaking at the meeting. However, if asked something directly, he would respond with a non-committal response. As an example, he said if asked why the city wants to charge $5,000 per month in rent, he would respond that is the city’s opening offer and the city is now looking for more input.

Later in the meeting, he reiterated why it is important for him to answer a question.

“I’m not going to ignore a citizen if they look right at me and ask me a question,” he said.

Dominick said the council would convene in executive session to discuss what they learned, but it would not be directly after the meeting.

Malheur County Library Board of Trustees member Joseph DeBudge spoke out in support of the meeting.

“It’s nice for the taxpayers to have a meeting to go to,” he said.

Before the meeting adjourned, Dominick thanked the Malheur County Library Board of Trustees for their service and the service they would continue to provide the library.