City Likely to Oppose New Library Group

The City Council on Monday is expected to oppose plans to form a new countywide citizens’ group to advise the county’s new library commission.

Ventura Mayor Jim Friedman contends the group would create another unnecessary layer of government between the city and the county’s library system.

Suggested by the city of Ojai, the idea for a citizens’ advisory group comes as leaders from seven cities and the county begin using a system that revamps the way the county’s library system does business.

Approved in March, the library reorganization plan was designed to give cities more say in how their branches are operated, keeping most of the property tax dollars within the cities where the funds are generated while still maintaining the smaller branches in unincorporated county areas.

Breaking the county into eight library districts, the new system is managed by a library advisory panel made up of one elected official from the county and each city.

Ventura is the only city in the new system that has its own citizens’ advisory commission, a group that makes recommendations on library services to the City Council.

In taking action to formally oppose the new countywide citizens’ group on Monday, the council is expected to suggest that other cities in the library system establish their own advisory groups.