CC Minutes - 05/27/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Torrey solicited a second round of comments. Mr. Meisner believed that the council was committed to providing library services, but there was a difference between important community services for all, important community services for children, and what the City could provide. He said that there were limits on what the Eugene taxpayers could provide to nonresidents. The City was already providing money to nonresidents through the school levy. Speaking to the mayor's remarks, Mr. Meisner expressed the wish that the council had done more comprehensive planning for Ballot Measure 20-67. The use of those funds were restricted. He agreed that the school districts were not providing adequate library services to school children, and that the City could have done a better job of providing some of the levy money for school library services. However, he was not prepared to cut existing City services to provide the needed funding to provide library cards for nonresidents. Ms. Nathanson noted that reading for fun led to self-improvement and growth. She would have liked to have talked about the need for reading as the issue went beyond helping school libraries. She acknowledged that school libraries had been cut. Ms. Nathanson agreed with Mr. Meisner that the issue regarded what Eugene taxpayers provided to nonresidents. She noted that the library was a public building and open to all who visited it, not just residents. Responding to a question from Ms. Nathanson, Ms. Bennett said that staff was discussing expanding the section allowing people to take books without checking them out to children's use as well. Ms. Nathanson suggested that the concept be expanded to other community facilities. Responding to a question from Ms. Solomon, Ms. Bennett said that if the City was awarded the LSTA grant, the first grant year would involve research with the two school districts, and in 2005 a pilot program based on the first year of study would be done. She clarified that the grant would not solve the problem of how to provide greater library access to more school children, bur rather was designed to determine how the school and public libraries could work together more effectively. Ms. Bettman suggested that given the residents in question were County residents, more discussion with the Board of County Commissioners was needed. Speaking to Mayor Torrey's comments about the council's decision to limit the City's portion of the school levy, Ms. Bettman indicated she supported the action because increasing the percentage going to the City would have doomed the measure, which barely passed. Ms. Taylor asked if teachers could check out books for their classrooms. Ms. Bennett said yes, if the teachers in question were Eugene residents. Mayor Torrey adjourned the meeting at 7:22 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 27, 2003 Page 12 Work Session