Libraries Told to Find New Funding Source : Revenue: The county can no longer afford to subsidize system, supervisors say. Agency will look for alternatives.

Faced with a $43-million revenue shortfall this year, Ventura County supervisors agreed Tuesday that the county can no longer afford to subsidize its library system and must come up with other financing options.

The board voted to direct the Library Services Agency to explore a wide range of financial alternatives, from a possible library tax to the dissolution of the library district.

Although Supervisor John Flynn voted in favor of the study, he said he adamantly opposes a library tax or charging patrons a user fee.

“I don’t want to commit myself in any way to the idea that (I’m) out raising the flag for a half-cent sales tax,” he said. “I’m not doing that. Period.”

Supervisor Susan Lacey, who recommended that the board look for a funding solution, agreed that a sales tax may not necessarily be the answer but insisted that it should be included in the study.

“I don’t know what the answers are,” she said. “But we have to get some information so we can make some decisions.”

During the board’s discussion Tuesday, Supervisor Frank Schillo said he was upset to learn that the library agency is spending $12,000 to put together a five-year strategic plan. He said the money could be better spent expanding the operating hours of county libraries.

“I just went ballistic when I saw the money being spent on goal-setting and planning,” said Schillo, who last month proposed that the Board of Supervisors spend $10,000 to hire a consultant to help draft a mission statement.

Dixie Adeniran, director of the county Library Services Agency, said the five-year strategic plan is essential in helping the agency determine how to best spend its limited resources. Still, she said the agency will probably postpone or scale back its study and concentrate more on finding a stable source of revenue.

In addition to a possible sales tax measure, Adeniran said the agency will look at forming partnerships with cities to operate the libraries or possibly turning over libraries to the cities.

As part of its study, Adeniran said the agency will be consulting with officials in Thousand Oaks, Santa Paula and Oxnard, all of which operate their own library systems. Last year, Santa Paula approved a library tax to expand its library hours and to purchase new materials.

Supervisor Chairwoman Maggie Kildee said the decision over what to do about the county library system may also be determined by the voters. Although she is a strong supporter of libraries, Kildee said, it is important to note that the county is not required to provide library services.

“There are some functions that counties must perform, but (operating) libraries is not one of them,” she said. “That makes the library priority a really tough one.”

State budget cuts have eliminated nearly 50% of county library funding since 1993. To make up for the lost revenue, the county has spent $2.4 million in general fund money to subsidize the county library system.

Even so, the library agency has been forced to cut library hours in half at most of its 16 branches. And Adeniran warned that services will have to be scaled back even further if no additional revenues are found this year.

“It is a very big hole that we’re looking at falling into,” Adeniran said.