HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1996 1204 CC REG ITEM 10KPTE�J! /096 ,
CITY OF MOORPARK
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: Mary K. Lindley, Assistant to the City Manager
DATE: November 20, 1996 (CC Meeting of December 4)
SUBJECT: December 12 Meeting to Review the Library Services Agency
Executive Summary
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The County of Ventura has arranged for a presentation to review and discuss the report titled
"Countywide Delivery of Library Services" as a part of the Ventura Council of Governments'
(VCOG) meeting scheduled for December 12. The consultant, retained by the County to conduct
a study of library services, will be at the meeting to present its report and answer questions.
Councilmembers from each of the ten cities and each member of the Board of Supervisors will be
invited to participate in the meeting. This council report is presented to give the City Council an
opportunity to discuss the report prior to the meeting and to determine who will represent the
City on the proposed "Library Services Planning Committee ".
Background
The County retained a consultant, Providence Center, to study and evaluate the current structure
of, and services provided by, the County Library Services Agency; identify and examine various
funding resources and revenue generating mechanisms; and make recommendations on a preferred
organizational structure. Elected representatives from the cities and the County participated in a
committee which was responsible for providing the Board of Supervisor with a recommendation
on which consultant to retain and for reviewing, and providing comments on, the consultant's
preliminary report. Councilmember Brown represented the City on that committee. In addition
to the committee of elected representatives, staff persons from the cities and the County also
served on a library "working group" which was responsible for guiding and assisting the
consultant's work
To complete the report, the Providence Center relied on on -site visits to each County library as
well as visits to the three municipal libraries within the County. Interviews were conducted with
County and municipal library staff, city and county elected officials, city /county managers,
representatives of library support and user groups, and representatives from the County
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Superintendent of Schools. Lastly, the consultant utilized information and bench - marking data
from comparable library systems.
Based on the information in the preliminary report, the consultant found many deficiencies in the
Ventura County Library System, the most significant of which is funding. The County has
indicated that the Library Agency has seen a reduction in revenues of about 50 percent over the
last several years.
The preliminary recommendation is that the cities and the County consider a new organizational
system which includes the establishment of a "Library Services Planning Committee" comprised
of elected and appointed officials from the County and the cities. The Committee would be
tasked with developing library service districts and developing a structure for a Joint Powers
Agency which would become the "permanent" governing authority of the service districts. Under
this model, the City of Moorpark could comprise one library district and would have significant
input as to the operations of the Moorpark Library within the constraints of available funding
resources.
In addition, the consultant's preliminary recommendation calls for changes in the administrative
and support structure of the existing County Library System to eliminate duplication and ensure
that staff resources are focused in areas where they can have the greatest positive impact on
library users. This recommendation includes a greater use of, and support for, volunteers.
In summary, the consultant believes that significant improvements can be made to the current
system within the existing budget levels. These improvements include additional hours of
operation, more current library collection materials, improved technology, reduced over - crowding
of bookshelves and furniture within library facilities, and additional library services tailored to
each community. However, the consultant notes that these improvements will not bring Ventura
County libraries up to the standards currently maintained by comparable library systems.
Additional financial resources will be required.
To generate the level of additional revenue that will provide sufficient on -going and capital
funding for libraries, the consultant recommends that the cities and the County consider a 1/8 cent
sales tax referendum and /or a parcel tax to be divided between the participating jurisdictions
(library service districts).
At the December 12 VCOG meeting, elected officials from the cities and the County will have an
opportunity to ask questions of the consultant and to engage in an open discussion about the
future of library services in Ventura County. The VCOG members will be asked to approve the
formation and membership of a Library Service Planning Committee as recommended by the
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consultant. In preparation for the meeting, city councils are being asked to select one member
from their respective councils to serve on this Committee. The Committee will be tasked with
analyzing the recommendations in the consultants' Final Report and drafting an operational and
organizational plan for the review and approval of the cities /County at a later date. This
Committee will most likely meet in the late afternoons.
The VCOG meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Oxnard. To assist staff in determining
whether or not Moorpark's participation in the meeting needs to be treated as a noticed meeting
of the City Council (if three or more Councilmember attend), staff would like to know how many
of the Councilmembers are interested in attending the library meeting. Please note that Mayor
Hunter or, in his place, the City's alternate VCOG member (currently Councilmember Perez) will
be the only Moorpark elected official voting at the meeting.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council select a representative to serve on the Library Service
Planning Committee, provide any comments it may have about the recommendations or findings
contained in the Library Report, and request that individual members indicate whether or not they
plan to attend the meeting on December 12.
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