County Told of Possible Library Staff Cuts, Closures

Ventura County’s libraries could be forced to cut half their staffs and shut down all but three of their branches if the Board of Supervisors does not come through with the $1.6-million contribution it provided last year, the county’s library director said Thursday.

“It is simply not feasible to run a county library, serving a population of 419,150, serving seven cities and all of the unincorporated areas, with a geographically distributed set of facilities, at this staffing level,” library Director Dixie D. Adeniran told the board.

The supervisors expressed sympathy, but stressed that they could not yet guarantee the same level of support for the libraries and other popular programs in the face of state cuts and the county’s own mounting deficit.

“I’m very much opposed to reducing veteran services and library services, but where do we go?” Supervisor Vicky Howard asked. “After three years of cutting, I’m at a point where I’m numb and I really don’t know what to cut anymore.”

Howard’s remarks came at the end of two weeks of budget study sessions, which sets the stage for county staff members next week to release their proposed spending plan for fiscal 1995.

The county’s library director was not the only official Thursday to warn of painful decisions with additional budget cuts.

Social services officials told the board how proposed cuts would force them to drop programs for veterans, senior citizens and the homeless. Public works officials projected staff cuts in mapping and surveying offices.

The only good news came from the county’s acting fire chief, Robert Holaway, who said his department could afford to buy three new fire engines and other equipment without added help from the county--and without the Proposition 172 tax revenue that firefighters fought so hard for four months ago.

A one-time boost in revenue, which included reimbursement for the work in October’s firestorms, should cover the costs of equipment and fire station improvements, Holaway said.

Ken Maffei, who heads the Ventura County Firefighters Assn., called Holaway’s viewpoint shortsighted.

“We may have the funding right now to maintain the status quo, but that’s not the point of Proposition 172,” Maffei said. Instead, he said the new revenue should be used to enhance and expand existing services.

In March, firefighters sought a chunk of the $24 million in revenue from last year’s extension of a half-cent sales tax and reacted angrily when the supervisors devoted the money exclusively to the Sheriff’s Department and district attorney’s office.

Now, however, those departments could face cutbacks as the board contemplates how to deal with $10 million to $12 million in state reductions on top of its own $16-million deficit.

Unlike other programs, the library system and the Fire Department receive a separate pool of property taxes to pay their costs. Last year, the state threatened to take back some of that money and decimate the special districts.

At the last minute, fire districts were exempted, but libraries lost significant funds. In fact, since 1991 Ventura County libraries have lost one-third of their funding and two-fifths of their staff members. Library hours have dropped by half, Adeniran said.

Last year, the supervisors agreed to contribute $1.6 million to keep more libraries open longer. Unless they agree to make a contribution again this year, libraries could lose as many as 38 of their remaining 77 staff members, she said.

The board could find the money in a proposed $4-million contingency fund set aside for emergencies, or could add it to its deficit for the fiscal year that begins today, said Bert Bigler, the county’s budget director.

Two supervisors, Maria VanderKolk and John K. Flynn, said they were committed to providing the library money. The three remaining members said they wanted to find the money, but needed to know the extent of state cuts and weigh the damage facing other departments.

“We need to hear from everybody and we need to think about this for a while,” Supervisor Maggie Kildee said. “Clearly the library is incredibly important, but I’m not going to make a commitment today.”

VanderKolk said she was prepared to sacrifice programs for veterans and homeless people to make sure her favorite programs get priority funding.

“I cannot justify cutting a library and cutting public safety until we cut those programs,” she said Thursday.

Flynn disagreed, saying he would fight to save the $115,900 the county pays for the veterans services office. The program handled 1,600 cases in the past year.

“But John, the point is we don’t have the money,” VanderKolk argued. “Why would we choose the veterans program over a library?”