Analysis: Library vote not likely this year

When the St. Landry Parish Library Coalition launched its campaign for a parish-wide public library system several months ago, members likely thought that by this week -- National Library Week -- the question would be well on its way to voters.
Instead it is as far from a vote now as it was then, waylaid by infighting, misunderstanding and a general resistance to change.
St. Landry is the only of the state’s 64 parishes without a publicly finance library system.
The parish came within 24 votes of getting one approved at the polls almost a half century ago, but the issue was torpedoed by the inclusion on the ballot of several unpopular tax proposals.
This time around Coalition co-chairpersons Bruce Gaudin and Ginger LeCompte have tried to head off opposition before it could get a foothold, without much success.
Lost in the bickering and hoo-rah has been the fact that all the coalition wants the parish council to do is create a library district and a five-to-seven person board to manage it.
That board, not the coalition, would draft plans for a system and propose whatever funding option it might conclude was best and/or stood the best change of voters’ approval.
The coalition has used a 5.5-mill tax as an example of what could be done and outlined what could be done with the $3 million generated by such a levy.
But that is merely for illustrative purposes, a fact that evident went past most of the opposition like Sherman went through Georgia.
The bottom line in the issue is that the parish has libraries that fail to meet the state’s certification requirements, libraries that serve as no asset in the bid to attract new business and industry, libraries that fall short, according to state standards, of meeting minimum serve requirements.
Gaudin and LeCompte, at countless appearances before public bodies and civic groups, have been careful not to fault the performance of employees within the current system.
There is not ground to gained in bashing well-intentioned, dedicated employees. They are products of a system, not vice versa.
Guadin continues to be dismayed over Eunice officials failure to get behind the idea.
The city currently budgets $154,000 annually for the Opelousas-Eunice Library. That comes from “up to 10 percent” of a sales tax collected in the city.
Under a Coalition example outline, the city would receive about $600,000 annually from a 5.50-mill tax, and could divert the $154,000 to other uses.
Mayor Rusty Moody, a retired educator, has no misconceptions about the value of a robust library system, yet has been steadfast in his opposition to a tax proposal, saying he won’t asked Eunice citizens for city uses. The city’s general alimony tax has not changed in years.
Other city officials have taken the Three Monkeys approach to the matter.
Gaudin understands the mayor’s point, but notes a 5.5 mill library tax would take $254,000 from city taxpayers and return about $600,000 for library services.
“That’s in addition to,” he said, the $154,000 from the Sales Tax Fund that could be used for something else.”
Library supporters in Eunice and other communities are concerned with where their facilities would fall within a consolidated system, and some voice questions about the proposed board’s membership.
Those appointments would be made by the parish council, many of whose members have said they want nothing to do with the district, reflecting, presumably, wishes of their constituents, or at least of those involved in libraries.
It is the opinion of the State Library that a parish-wide system in St. Landry offers a better service plan than one that is not consolidated. Opponents scoff at that conclusion, saying state library officials are not likely to suggest a system is not needed, a kind of buttering their own bread argument.
According to State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton, St. Landry libraries fall far short of libraries in parishes of comparable population in many categories.
What’s next for the district proposition?
The Coalition is wanting for a School Board vote of support, but the board is waiting until after its May tax renewal election, not wanting to chance upsetting that apple cart.
And Coalition members continue to work elected officials and influential players in the issue, looking for a compromise that can get the proposal back on track.
The most likely forecast: No district-creation vote before sometime in 2015, if at all.