Cranston Libraries fight back against Allan Fung's cuts
I received an e-mail from Cranston mayor Allan Fung yesterday, part of which said the following:
That last question is really interesting. The recently elected mayor has taken a stand in his budgetary moves. From the meetings I've attended in the past few weeks, the mayor is seeking to not overburden taxpayers and in so doing must make budget cuts to various departments. Just like any of us, if we don't have the money to spend we'll need to reduce what we are spending. The library, in response to budget cuts, decided to make changes:
It goes without saying how important libraries are to a community. That's not the issue here. But, when we're facing an unparraled fiscal crisis and most people are living with day-to-day fears of being laid off, there needs to be some give. And finally, it does seem odd that the library wouldn't go to the Mayor and try to resolve this before contacting a lawyer. Not sure who'll win this one, but one thing is for sure, the budget battle is going to continue to rage on in Cranston in the weeks/months to come. As T.O would say, "getcha popcorn ready"!
As you will read in today’s Providence Journal [linky] the library has hired a lawyer to fight cuts that I am making in this year’s budget (approximately 9.6% overall) as well as for next year. Under the state law, I am authorized to cut the library this fiscal year up to 20% of its budget. While I do support the library and what it does for our community, I firmly believe that no single department should be immune from cuts and operate autonomous from the city. So, I made the decision to cut them 9.6% which I believe is fair and significantly less than I could have. As you may have seen, my overall deficit reduction plan to close the over $5 Million deficit that the city is facing was to spread the pain to all departments and be fair in cuts to everyone. It is unbelievable that the library would be fighting these cuts and refuse to cooperate during this fiscal crisis. Plus, where are they getting the money to hire a lawyer?
That last question is really interesting. The recently elected mayor has taken a stand in his budgetary moves. From the meetings I've attended in the past few weeks, the mayor is seeking to not overburden taxpayers and in so doing must make budget cuts to various departments. Just like any of us, if we don't have the money to spend we'll need to reduce what we are spending. The library, in response to budget cuts, decided to make changes:
Right, no money to spend means spending needs to be reduced. Which brings the question back to "where are they getting the money to hire a lawyer?" The Library is fighting against Fung's administration's refusal to pay about $44,000 in purchase orders and his plan to lay off four employees, according to the Projo. Not being an expert on this from a legal standpoint, I can understand the Library's position regarding the purchase orders to an extent but think that like other departments they're going to need to "bite the bullet" with the layoffs.Starting this week, all five neighborhood branches will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and the Central Library, on Sockanosset Cross Road, will be closed on Sundays and close three hours earlier on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Library officials say the cutbacks stem from a proposal by Mayor Allan W. Fung to cut the current-year library budget by $202,047, or about 6.3 percent, with less than three months left in the fiscal year. “We are cutting in response to the city’s cut,” said Nancy Davis O’Hara, chairwoman of the library Board of Trustees. “Obviously, we don’t have that money to spend.”
It goes without saying how important libraries are to a community. That's not the issue here. But, when we're facing an unparraled fiscal crisis and most people are living with day-to-day fears of being laid off, there needs to be some give. And finally, it does seem odd that the library wouldn't go to the Mayor and try to resolve this before contacting a lawyer. Not sure who'll win this one, but one thing is for sure, the budget battle is going to continue to rage on in Cranston in the weeks/months to come. As T.O would say, "getcha popcorn ready"!
Posted by Don Roach at 4/15/2009 5:22 AM 
Categories: Cranston
Tags: Cranston Library Allan Fung Budget Cuts
Categories: Cranston
Tags: Cranston Library Allan Fung Budget Cuts
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