Supervisors to Join County Library Panel
Ventura County supervisors agreed Tuesday to join a new oversight panel that will govern the county’s 15-branch library system.
Seven city representatives and one member of the Board of Supervisors are expected to begin making decisions over the library system’s budget and staffing in mid-January.
The new Ventura County Free Library System is being formed after years of criticism over what many library users considered a poorly funded and managed county library agency.
The new panel is an outgrowth of an agreement between the county and seven city managers on how best to revamp the beleaguered system.
The agreement looks to place control of the individual branches in the hands of each city, while cutting back on administration and using the savings to expand hours and collections.
The measure already has gained the approval of Simi Valley, Ventura, Camarillo, Ojai and Fillmore.
The Moorpark City Council will consider joining tonight. The Port Hueneme City Council will consider the agreement Jan. 7.
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