Merrily we roll along

By Jim Butler

One observer noted last weekend that if ignorance is indeed bliss, the St. Landry Parish Council must be one happy bunch.
The observation came during a discussion of the council’s decision last week to introduce a parish-wide library district ordinance, then requests by 11 of the 13 members to have their election districts not included.
That omission includes both election districts representing Eunice.
Another participant in the conversation asked wouldn’t that leave those districts without modern library service, to which there were no answers other than perhaps that’s nothing new.
It was suggested perhaps the idea needs to be repackaged, with a beer hall and smoking lounge promised in any building plans.
Surely you are familiar by this point with the basic parts of the library issue.
St. Landry Parish is the only one of 64 in Louisiiana without tax-financed parish-wide public library system.
And research could show that in very few counties in the other states is there no county-wide system.
Some of the St. Landry districts have libraries finance by cities or special districts, so elected officials representing them see no need for a change.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is their argument.
And officials from other districts indicated their citizens don’t want to pay for libraries, when they have bridges and ditches that need improvement.
Library advocates note that the suggested 5.5 mill tax to raise $3 million a year for a library system would cost most residents little or nothing, since homestead exemption would apply.
But it would impose a new tax on all commercial property, as well as farmland and timber.
One doesn’t hear any business publicly objecting to a library tax.
In fact, business in many places is often in the forefront for such change, the thinking being any improvement in quality of life improves the lot of their customers as well as current and future employees.
Editor Jim Butler can be reached at jim.butler@eunicetoday.com