Parish library system touted at Parish Council meeting

By Harlan Kirgan
Editor
A parish library system was touted to the St. Landry Parish Council Wednesday, but two Eunice leaders contacted Thursday were more inclined to say the Eunice library should become independent.
The Eunice library on South 2nd Street and Park Avenue is affiliated with the Opelousas library.
The city of Eunice budgets about $17,000 a year for library maintenance from its general fund and $172,000 in sales tax revenues, according to a recent city audit.
At the Parish Council meeting, Ginger LeCompte, executive director of the St. Landry-Evangeline United Way, said St. Landry Parish is the only parish without a parish library system.
A proposal for a parish library system failed about 50 years ago, LeCompte said.
LeCompte mentioned the existence of the Opelousas-Eunice Library and a library district in the Sunset area.
A library system would pool resources, be connected to the state library system and the Library of Congress.
“The library here in Opelousas and one in Eunice are funded primarily through the budgets of the local municipalities,” LeCompte said. “Those budgets for those libraries can change from year to year.”
Neither LeCompte nor Parish President Bill Fontenot, who said he supports a parishwide library system, offered how much money would be needed to fund a parish library system.
LeCompte did say funding the system would cost from $12 to $15 a year for a residence assessed at $100,000. That was the lone financial detail offered at the Parish Council’s Administrative Finance Committee.
LeCompte said the Opelousas library has little money for new books. “Books that are there now, some of them, most of them have not been checked out since 1987. Some of the books, a lot of the books on the shelves, are copyrighted prior to 1969,” she said.
Adding to the need for a parish library system is public elementary and middle school libraries were de-funded, she said.
LeCompte linked the lack of libraries to a functional illiteracy rate of more than 45 percent in the parish; more than 70 percent of 5-year-olds are not ready for kindergarten; and the parish graduation rate of 66 percent being lower than the state average of 72 percent.
There is a direct correlation between education and literacy and library systems, she said.
Fontenot said a library system is his second priority with the first being improving the parish road system.
“I don’t think we should hold hostage this measure within the opinions of 13 people. We should let the people vote on it,” he said.
Ken Marks, a Port Barre councilman, said the school system should be main driver behind developing a parish library system. Schools may provide the facilities for libraries, he said.
Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot said his support for a parish library system would depend on the cost to Eunice residents, but he would favor spending any additional tax dollars on Eunice needs such as raises for employees.
“If they do decide to put something like that on the ballot I’d ask them to exclude the city of Eunice depending on how much revenue it is going to take from our residents,” he said.
“I think it is going to be hard for them to pass it,” he said.
From standpoint of Eunice residents, Fontenot said, “I wouldn’t be for it.”
Fontenot said he could be proven wrong depending on what is proposed.
“Right now with no particular numbers in front of me, I have to be against it,” he said.
Jack Burson, Eunice alderman at-large, focused on the Opelousas and Eunice libraries.
“I think eventually the two libraries need to part. I’ve felt that for awhile,” he said.
As for a parish library system, he thinks it will be difficult to get approved given local library systems.
“I’m all for libraries. St. Landry is the only parish in the state that doesn’t have a parish library. The one attempt lost and lost pretty badly if I remember right,” he said.
That vote was in the early 1960s, he said
Burson said up to 10 percent of city sales tax can be used for the Eunice library.
Some Eunice residents are in Acadia Parish where a library tax is collected, he said. he did not believe those residents drive to Crowley to check out library books.
“We’ve got a nice library at LSUE right here. I think we could do some things if we went totally self-operated it would certainly not reduce the current library service we have and we might be able to do some new things.”
Burson added, “If they put a parish library on the ballot I would certainly be inclined to vote for it knowing as I did so that it would probably lose like it did before. Right now for the city of Eunice if we are going to vote a new tax for anything I want it to be for new streets.”