Planning on making another run for the library board, Michael?SWJ article about MPL budgets and services... where are we headed and what's the plan to get us there?
http://www.southwestjournal.com/display/inn_news/news01.txt
Let's be clear about one thing: Governor Tim Pawlenty, his administration and his political cohorts are the A-1 problem in the Minneapolis Public Library's budget. Regardless of any valid criticism of past or present library administration or board, the 30% or $2.8 million cut in Local Government Aid (LGA) is the gorilla in the living room.
What the Pawlenty camp has done to the libraries, the city and more, is steal tax revenue. We pay that revenue in the form of income tax, sales tax and more, but instead of distributing it back to the cities who pay it, in a somewhat more equitable arrangement state-wide, Pawlenty and company have used it to fix THEIR problems in the state level budget. Remember that Pawlenty was House Majority leader for the past decade. What did he do about the state's financial situation during that time? He made it worse.
Then just to rub salt into the wounds, the state won't let local taxing entites use broad, fair taxes like income or sales taxes. The only tax they can use is the often unfair and regressive property tax.
The city of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Public Libraries and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board have all taken huge cuts in their LGA funds.
I have personally been critical of all three entities in the way they provide services and manage their revenues. They all need improvement. But for the Libraries and the Park Board, LGA is easily the biggest problem, quite possibly by an entire order of magnitude.
Chris Johnson Fulton
TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.)
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