County Looks at Reorganizing Library System : Finances: Despite misgivings, supervisors agree to consider transferring control of some branches to cities to save money.

Despite some concerns that the plan will not work and might even hurt efforts to raise library revenues, supervisors agreed Tuesday to look at reorganizing the financially strapped Ventura County library system to give cities more control over expenses.

The board voted unanimously to allow Supervisor Frank Schillo to pursue the possible formation of a library federation that would transfer control and revenues of some county library branches to cities.

Schillo maintains that setting up a library federation could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in county overhead costs, although he could not provide specifics.

He said the savings could be used to prevent the closure of several small libraries and to expand hours at larger branches.

But board Chairwoman Maggie Kildee said she is doubtful that a reorganization could provide enough additional money to save the library system, battered by state budget cuts. She also expressed concern that the proposal might actually hurt efforts by Camarillo, Ojai and Piru to get a parcel tax approved next March to help subsidize their libraries.

“I’m not sure it will be easy to convince people that they should vote to tax themselves if it appears that the federation will somehow magically provide those dollars,” Kildee said.

Camarillo City Manager Bill Little agreed, saying that any savings a federation might bring, combined with the property taxes cities already pay into the library system, would still not be enough to cover expenses for expanded service.

“My concern is that people are going to look at this and somehow think that the money is in fact there,” Little said. “And that’s going to hurt us when we go to the voters in 3 1/2 months and asked them to consider a $25 parcel tax for five years.”

But Schillo reminded the board that it is facing a self-imposed March 31 deadline to come up with some type of alternative library funding. The board voted last summer to provide just enough money to keep all 16 branches open until next spring.

Barring any additional funding, at least four small libraries are slated to close: the Oak Park Library, the Avenue Library in Ventura and the Meiners Oaks and Oak View libraries in Ojai. Libraries in Piru, Saticoy and El Rio have received enough block grant money to keep them open until next July, officials said.

Although his federation proposal may not provide millions of extra dollars for libraries, Schillo said he believes it would save enough money by combining book purchasing and other administrative tasks to at least keep libraries open.

That is based on drawing three independent library systems--Santa Paula, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks--into the federation. But Thousand Oaks Library Director Marvin Smith said he would be reluctant to join a consortium because it could end up costing his city money.

“I could not in good conscience recommend to our City Council to join a federation that would deplete our ability to serve this community,” Smith said.

However, Schillo argued that the county must do something before the system runs out of money.

“We have a responsibility to come up with an answer to this problem,” Schillo said. “I don’t think anyone on this board wants to be in a position to say goodbye, libraries.”

Supervisor John Flynn proposed that the county seek some of the $600 million left over after the state balanced its budget this year.

After all, Flynn said, it was the state that cut the county’s library funding nearly in half, from $10 million to $5.8 million. In addition, the county last year provided a $1-million subsidy to the library system.

“I think we ought to at least make an effort to get some of that money back,” he said. “It’s probably fairly remote. But I think we ought to try it.”