Library Transfer Proposal Criticized : Supervisors: Plan would switch control from the county to a federation of cities. But skeptics say money, not reorganization, is needed.

A proposal before the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to transfer control of county libraries to a federation of cities would not stop the system from crumbling, library advocates say.

Supported in concept by a majority of the board, the plan to form a Ventura County library federation has been touted as a no-cost way to save small branches from closing and increase hours at larger branches.

But skeptics say that money, not reorganization, is the only way to solve the problem.

County leaders will vote Tuesday on whether to explore the plan’s feasibility.

Supervisor Frank Schillo, who has been traveling across the county to peddle the federation idea, said libraries would save money by breaking away from the county’s Library Services Agency, which now oversees 16 branches.

“The benefit is, [libraries] wouldn’t have to pay county overhead,” Schillo said. “The cities would have control over the hours their libraries were open and over the personnel. It would be their library.”

If the county were to get out of the library business, he said, libraries would save a collective $400,000 in overhead paid to the county for services such as bookkeeping and personnel administration.

Schillo said cities would have to fund library operations and maintenance, but could do so more cheaply.

“By doing this federation, there will be money left over for additional [library] hours without any increase in property tax,” he said.

But skeptics of the plan say the problem with the county’s library agency is not one of efficiency, but instead one of severe budget cutbacks. Since 1992, cuts in state funding to local governments have devastated the county’s library agency, slashing its budget from $10 million to $5.8 million.

Up to nine neighborhood libraries could close in March if the agency cannot secure additional funding.

Trish Cavanaugh, community relations manager for the county’s library agency, said merely replacing the agency with a federation would not resolve the crisis.

“There is a system already in place,” said Cavanaugh, who campaigned for a failed parcel-tax initiative to fund Ventura libraries. “No matter how you do it, there is not enough money. More money needs to come into the system.”

Santa Clara County earlier this year transferred control of its libraries to a joint-powers authority made up of cities, but coupled the move with a $33 countywide parcel tax. Susan Fuller, that county’s head librarian, said the additional cash infusion made the restructuring possible, restoring more than $5 million to her budget.

“Our elected officials were convinced that having high-quality library service was very important, and they wanted to develop a revenue base to make that possible,” Fuller said.

But Schillo said that more business sense, not necessarily more cash, will keep Ventura County’s smaller libraries open and increase hours at larger libraries.

The county last year dipped into its general fund to provide the libraries with nearly $1 million in temporary funding. At the same time, Schillo said, libraries paid the county a combined $1.4 million in overhead costs. By eliminating the county, Schillo said, the libraries would end up with a total of $400,000 to spend on increased hours and other services.

Under the proposal, Schillo also envisions centralizing library services, such as book ordering and purchasing. Today, the county library agency operates separately from district libraries in Oxnard, Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks.

“Instead of having four library systems buying one book, you would have one agency buying for all libraries,” Schillo said. “Economies of scale would save money.”

Schillo said he has not yet determined all the potential savings. But Cavanaugh and others worry that $400,000 spread among 16 libraries would not cover costs and leave extra money to boost hours.

If the city of Ventura broke away from the county system, the city would assume control of nearly $1 million in property taxes earmarked for library services. But with a $1.8-million budget for three libraries, the city would still have to find a way to come up with more funds, some of which now come from the county’s general fund contribution.

“I don’t understand at this point how [the federation] is a better deal,” said Cherie Brandt, campaign coordinator for Ventura’s library parcel-tax measure.

Schillo may have several hurdles to clear, including convincing library officials in Ventura County’s three other library districts that this proposal stands a chance.

The Thousand Oaks library broke away from the county in 1982 because officials believed it could do better on its own. Marvin Smith, that city’s director of library services, said a $45 property tax earmarked for library services generates about $2 million annually.

Although Smith said library officials plan to work with the supervisors, he said the library would not participate in a federation that would strain the facility’s resources.

“It is not my indication that anybody is willing to put any money behind the proposal,” Smith said. “I can tell you absolutely that Thousand Oaks is not interested in being a subscriber to a situation that would diminish our ability to provide services to our community.”