Minutes 05-20-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

cuts to the Carrboro Cybrary, southwest Orange County's population of 30,000 plus will be served by a mere 2.00 FTE's. Furthermore, the Cybrary cuts will put an undue strain on the Carrboro Branch library's McDougle Branch — particularly on its 1.55 librarians and on its already overworked computers, all of which are shared by the Carrboro/Chapel Hill School System. And computer-less patrons seeking jobs through the Internet will have to shuttle between these two branches as they try to find work. These patrons, might I add, are Orange County taxpayers. Meanwhile, as a point of information, the Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough has 11.5 FTE's and one facility for a smaller population catchment area. As for the residents of Cedar Grove — they might not look like a lot of patrons but those seventy plus families who use the library every day represent over three hundred lives which will be affected by the closure of that branch library. The library is the last resort of social inclusion before many people drop out of the system from despair. One library equals 2 prisoners. By approving these cuts in library services, we are passing on our responsibility as citizens of Orange County to other County agencies like Social Services and to the State — ultimately costing us all a lot more. One Carrboro Branch Library patron costs $61 per patron per year. Emergency support costs hundreds of dollars. Might I also add here that to touch the dedicated fund from County building sales for the Southwest Orange Regional Branch Library would be highly short-sighted and a major economic mistake and would further short change the residents of southwest Orange now reduced to being served by reduced library hours and 2.2 librarians. On Tuesday there was talk of attracting more businesses to Orange County to offset our escalating burden as taxpayers for County services. Let us value what we already have right now as our economic assets. Libraries are one economic asset — and a positive investment. The arts are the other. I would question both being classified as recreational and hence expendable. There are over 2,500 artists in Orange County plus people involved in arts related work. To move the Arts Commission into the Visitor's Bureau and out of the general fund places this arts generating engine at great risk and at the mercy of the market. It also makes it compete with the Visitor's Bureau for hotel tax money putting both agencies at risk. Cutting the ArtsCenter money so drastically is also cutting off some of the economic potential for one of Orange County's important economic engines. And so, as you go into the budget process, please begin considering libraries, artists and the arts as Orange County's gold. You already have valuable resources. Steward them well and responsibly and this County will reap of its investments in people rather than in traditionally valued objects. Devalue them and Orange County will be much the poorer for having done so." Anne Medenblick, Chair of the OCS Board, said that statewide there are very few places that receive the level of local support that the schools in Orange County do. She said that in a state that ranks 44th in state funding for education, the support of the Board of County Commissioners is critical to maintaining the level of success. She said that the OCS Board is thankful for the close working relationship forged with the Board of County Commissioners. She said that she was pleased to hear the County Manager recommended funding the schools at the same per-pupil allocation. This recommendation will allow the district to offer programs to some of the neediest students. She said that the board understands the fiscal constraints, but they must advocate for the students in their district. Betty Compton said that she represents one of those outside agencies that the Manager's budget did not fund this year. She read a letter: "I am writing to you on behalf of the Adolescents-in-need Project, a long-time very successful service project based in the Orange County School District and serving the young people in grades 6 through 12 and those who have dropped out of school. This project serves those students who are at risk and who are failing through the cracks in services. These students seldom fit `reason for referral' required for core agency services in the community.