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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2005 0921 CC REG ITEM 09CITEM q • C - CITY OF MOORPARK, CA4IFORNIa City Council Meeting of ACYION: CITY OF MOORPARK °? CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPOR%y.. TO: The Honorable City Council FROM: Mary K. Lindley, Parks, Recreation, and Communit Services Director 1� DATE: September 8, 2005 (Meeting of September 21, 2005) SUBJECT: Consider Consultant for Library Service Study BACKGROUND On June 1, 2005, the Council moved to close the public hearing and continue the Agenda Item, 8.A., to consider withdrawal from the Ventura County Library System (System) to September 21. The Council directed staff to obtain information from consultants on the costs and details of withdrawing from the Library System. Concurrently, City staff continues to participate in discussions of the Library Study Group (County CEO, Library Director, and City Managers from the seven cities with county libraries) to identify equitable funding and operational options that balance the return to source concept with adopted baseline service levels. DISCUSSION I contacted five consultants located in California to discuss the scope and feasibility of a library study. Three of the consultants stated that they had either a very heavy workload and would not be able to take on a new project for 12 to 18 months or the scope of work was not their area of expertise; two indicated that they would be interested in the project. Of the two interested consultants, staff believes that Arroyo Associates is best qualified and able to prepare a study with the scope of work desired by the City and in a timeframe acceptable to the Council. 000375 Honorable City Council September 21, 2005 Page 2 Arroyo Associates, Inc., prepared a comprehensive library feasibility study for the City of Calabasas in 1997. Prior to withdrawing from the County, Calabasas was contributing more property tax dollars to the Los Angeles Library System than it received back in library services. They were also concerned with the level of library services they received from the County. Arroyo Associates identified the steps necessary to withdraw from the County system, the cost of operating a municipal library at existing and enhanced service levels, potential available revenue resources, and various methods of providing library services (contract, in -house operations, or a combination thereof) . The City of Calabasas indicated that they were very pleased with the process, scope, and detail of the work performed by Arroyo Associates. It is interesting to note that the City of Calabasas elected to contract its library services to a private firm called Library System and Services, Inc. (LSSI). LSSI assisted Calabasas through the transition from a county library to an independent municipal library. LSSI evaluated the Calabasas Library collection and made recommendations on a new collection based on Calabasas' demographics. When the new collection was purchased, LSSI cataloged all the books and materials and established the entire municipal library operating system. It is my understanding that during the transition, the Calabasas Library was closed for a week to purge the Library of the old county book collection and to restock the new collection. On the first day as a municipal library, LSSI staff were in place when the doors opened. Today, LSSI operates the Calabasas Library, providing a library director and all library staff. The City Council sets library policies and staff administers the contract and oversees LSSI's work. This is one option the City of Moorpark may choose to explore after reviewing the information contained in the final study. Based on the proposal I received from Arroyo Associates, the Library Feasibility Study would cost approximately $35,000 (depending on the final scope of work) and would take approximately 12 weeks to complete. Staff proposes that if the Council wishes to proceed with a library study, that it negotiate a professional service agreement with Arroyo Associates to prepare a feasibility study for Moorpark Library, including withdrawal issues and M: \MLindley \LIBRARY \Library withdrawal study ccagda 9- 21- 05.doc UUU�'�6 Honorable City Council September 21, 2005 Page 3 independent library operation recommendations. They are very qualified in the area of evaluating organizational, operational, and financial models and methods for library services, particularly in California. They worked closely with Senator Mountjoy on the passage of SB 1998, which stipulates that cities leaving a county library system will receive their share of property tax based library revenue. Timeline Prior to any Council action to withdraw from the System, it must notice and hold a public hearing. Government and Education Codes require the submittal of certain paperwork to the County by the deadline date including an adopted resolution and the completion of several forms. The next available notice date is June 30, 2006 for an effective withdrawal date of January 1, 2007. The June 30, 2006, timeline provides the City with sufficient time to conduct a feasibility study. Library Study Group Status The Library Study Group met on September 15 and tentatively expressed support for the position of leaving the Library System's current funding and operational policies in place. If this concept were approved by the Library Commission and the Board of Supervisors, the previous Board - approved Option Four would be dropped. As reported in an Agenda Report presented to the Council on June 1, the Library Study Group agreed to recommend to the Library Commission that in return for delaying the implementation of Option Four for one year, the Library Service Areas that generate more property tax than is needed to fund their respective baseline service levels (Camarillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley and the County) would contribute a portion of their "surplus ", based on a pro rata share for fiscal year 2004/05. This action was approved and the funds were used to cover the System's overall deficit for the year. The contribution from the Moorpark Library Service Area surplus was approximately $21,000, leaving approximately $64,000 for library material and service level expenditures to be made at the City Council's discretion. Additionally, the Study Group agreed to continue working on an equitable, long -term solution to the current Library System funding shortfall. M: \MLindley \LIBRARY \Library withdrawal study ccagda 9- 21- 05.doc 000377 Honorable City Council September 21, 2005 Page 4 Based on revised budget figures presented by the County Library Director, Starrett Kreissman, it now appears that there is a larger projected growth in library property tax than had previously been anticipated. As a result, by FY 2007/08, it is anticipated that Library System will generate more revenue than is required to cover current baseline service level operating expenses. While a few of the Service Areas would continue to operate with a deficit, there would be sufficient Public Library Funds (PLF) to make up for the shortfall without relying on the surplus generated in the other Service Areas. If the Library System continues under the status quo, the projected deficit for FY 2006/07 will be approximately $50,000, which can be easily covered in the same manner as was approved for the FY 2005/06 deficit. The contribution from the Moorpark Library Service Area would be approximately $6,000, leaving approximately $112,000 for discretionary library purchases. As stated above, it is anticipated that there will be no overall System deficit in FY 2007/08. The Library System will operate in the "black" for the first time in approximately four years. Council Options The recent efforts by the Library Study Group appears to benefit the interests of Moorpark, preserving the original "return to source" concept and the Moorpark Library Service's areas historical surplus, which has been used to enhance the Moorpark Library's collection and service hours. Since the recommendation of the Study Group is preliminary and has not been presented to the Library Commission or Board of Supervisors, the Council may wish to delay a decision on whether or not to undertake its own library study. On the other hand, the Council can elect to undertake its own study while concurrently working with the other Library System MOU parties to finalize the current budget policy efforts. If the City Council elects to pursue its own library study, staff will present a proposed scope of work for the Council consideration at its next Council meeting. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Direct staff as deemed appropriate. 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