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Is Library Consolidation on the Horizon?
Originally published in the 2007 November 20 edition of The
Wantagh-Seaford Citizen. To consolidate or not to consolidate, that is the question that Nassau County libraries, including Seaford, Wantagh and Levittown, may face if Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi’s consolidation blueprint is given the go ahead. Seaford Library’s board of trustees voted to pass a resolution in opposition to consolidation. “We must have local control within our community for the library, our schools and the fire district. Library services are among the most basic of services rendered to the community and it should stay that way,” said Peter Ruffner, president of the Seaford Library’s Board of Trustees.
Norman Sammut, president of the Board of Trustees for the Wantagh Library, was out of town and vice-president Celeste Curry was unavailable for comment. However, The Citizen learned that the Wantagh Library Board is also planning to vote against a consolidation plan. Celeste Watson, Levittown Public Library director, said, “The proposal by the county executive to consolidate 53 libraries in Nassau County jeopardizes local control by the taxpayers of Levittown. “Currently, the library is governed by an elected Board of Directors, all of whom are Levittown residents. The board reflects the community’s interests and concerns, whereas the county executive’s plan is to appoint one library board for the entire county, thus eliminating local governance. “The rationale for this proposal is that it will lower taxes without any negative impact upon the library’s services and collections (such as books, magazines, DVDs and CDs). “A little known fact, however, is that the Levittown Public Library, along with other libraries in Nassau County, already participates in cost-saving measures by negotiating cooperative pricing and purchasing.” County Executive Suozzi, at a forum in July, opened discussion on the idea of consolidating municipal services, including libraries. The idea would be to review if a single countywide library system, similar to those in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens would work for Nassau County libraries.
There are 54 individual libraries in Nassau County; 11 are library-owned; 29 are owned by their school district including the Seaford, Wantagh and Levittown Libraries. Twelve libraries are owned by villages. The City of Glen Cove owns its library, and the Freeport Memorial Library is owned by both the Village of Freeport and the school district. Each library has its own board of trustees, with its own local identity. Would a centralized system sacrifice identity and local control? Would hours and services be reduced? Who would sit on the “new” centralized board of trustees? Would we save money? No one has the answers to those questions yet, as the consolidation “blueprint” is not finished and will not be available until May. However, state Senator Carl Marcellino (Fifth District) conducted an online survey regarding consolidation and found that 83 percent of those responding thought the library system is meeting individual and community needs. The survey also found that 85 percent thought a single county library system would diminish local control, and 47 percent didn’t believe the consolidation would save taxpayer dollars. A press release issued by the county this summer stated that County Executive Suozzi has “pledged to make government consolidation a top priority for the remainder of his term, as a way to cut taxes and increase efficiency.” The county issued an Request for Proposals (RFP) to consulting firms to come up with a detailed blueprint to reduce the size of government by consolidating the functions of local government entities. A study is now under way by consultants from Public Financial Management (PFM) to explore possibilities for consolidation within the county. County Legislator David Denenberg said that all 19 members of the County Legislature voted in favor of providing money towards this study that will cost $500,000. A private endowment of $250,000 was garnered for the study. The county provided the remaining $250,000. “Property taxes are our biggest concern and we must examine all the issues,” said Mr. Denenberg. “I’m not sure what the blueprint will say, so I can’t comment on something I haven’t seen or that’s even been [completely] formulated.” Mr. Denenberg said, “Right now the county is involved in consolidating roads and parks to see how we can provide the same services with less costs. But libraries are a state issue.” Jackie Thresher, director of the Nassau Library System, said that libraries and library systems are state-chartered and part of the University of the State of New York, along with schools, colleges, museums, other educational organizations and public broadcasting. Libraries and library systems are subject to state education law, the policies of the Board of Regents and the regulations of the commissioner of education. A state commission on local government efficiency and competitiveness was created to help reduce local property taxes. “The governor did not appoint a state commission on consolidation,” explained Ms. Thresher. In a statement she read at a legislative breakfast this fall, Ms. Thresher said, “He [Governor Eliot Spitzer] charged the commission with identifying barriers which inhibit more efficient local government and to promote increased efficiency of service provision via partnering and shared services, as well as mergers and consolidation.” Mr. Ruffner said the Seaford Library board would like to promote increase efficiency of services and is amenable to sharing some costs that do not affect library services, such as energy costs and insurance. Anything that comes out of that blueprint will require approval from the oversight of that district, explained Mr. Denenberg: “There are questions we need to ask – do you have willing partners? What about the loss of local control, and how does the community feel about that? If people don’t want to lose local control, then at least we have the responsibility of educating them on the issue. We want people to talk about these ideas and then they can make informed decisions for themselves.” |
