Taken for a Ride in IRBAt last week’s final reading of next year’s budget (or so we thought!), a good number of citizens expressed displeasure over keeping a full-time librarian and reducing our police protection.
IRB resident Scott Shapiro unraveled an out-of-the-box idea. He approached the microphone and suggested it might be more economical for IRB to provide limo service to anyone in town who wants to go to the library, instead of footing the bill to operate one of our own.
He went so far as to recommend that IRB make a deal with a limo company whereby they would transport our “readers” over the bridge to the bigger and better Largo Library, wait for them outside and then deliver them back to their respective doorsteps in IRB. Former Mayor Jim Driscoll, a longtime supporter of the IRB library, wasn’t amused; Shapiro’s suggestion did get a good laugh from the crowd nonetheless. (It’s “entertainment value” like this that will hopefully put more butts in the City Hall Auditorium seats for commission meetings!)
While Shapiro was bordering on sarcasm, do the math. Figure the average cost of a limo ride to Largo at $100. That buys nearly 1,000 limo rides per year with the monies currently earmarked to run our little library, which includes the price tag of a full-time librarian.
And, since most of these “reading runs” would be during the day when limos tend to sit idle, some transportation company might love this gig enough to even do better on the per-trip rate used in the calculation above.
Shapiro's tongue-in-cheek suggestion aside, I, for one, have learned to appreciate the people who are so passionate about “their” library here in IRB. It’s a group of good solid citizens…whose organization has been ruined by the “our-s#*t-doesn’t-stink” attitude of a few.
I hope these nice people realize that it’s not the library per se that sets so many IRBers ablaze; it’s more what the library REPRESENTS that raises hackles. The library has come to be a tangible example of city priorities driven by politics and personal desires rather than the needs of our community.
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
14 comments:
Driscol needs to get his head out of his you know what (and I don't mean the library).
To Nancy and all IRBeHEARD readers,
I did not mean any disrespect to the commission or Mr. Driscoll when I made my Limo comments. Mr. Driscoll has done many good things for our city (former mayor) and is a WWII veteran and aviator; a hero in my book and I did not mean to offend him. My comments regaring the Limo 2 Largo Library were made to draw a comparison to what we spend here in town for what we could spend for better services outside of town. The main concept is outsourcing the library to Largo for a cost equal to or less than our current expenditures in regard to library services (books). Yesterday I did visit the library for the 1st time in my >7yrs of residence and I did get a library card. I do want to thank the volunteers who have donated hundreds upon hundreds of hours to serving our community. I understand how personal the library issue is to some in town and I also understand how personal the matter of safey is for the majority of our residents. The debate between Books or Badges has become a focal point of our poor fiscal management and this years budget process. It is my personal view that we should not trade books for badges and that police protection is a fundamental right and service that we the tax payers have no choice but to pay for. It is for this reason that I do not want my tax dollars to be spent reducing our police protection and potential safety of our city. Its common knowledge that in tough economic times we tend to see an increase in petty thefts and crime, now is not the time for such a reduction in police protection. I believe that we can do more as a city to either reduce expenses or increase revenues but this is not expense we need to sacrifice.
Sincerely,
Scott Shapiro
BRAVO ! Well said...
"It is for this reason that I do not want my tax dollars to be spent reducing our police protection and potential safety of our city. Its common knowledge that in tough economic times we tend to see an increase in petty thefts and crime, now is not the time for such a reduction in police protection."
I agree totally! Maybe Mr. Shapiro should run for an up coming seat on the Commission!
Today, I think we’d all agree that the U.S. has fallen severely behind education-wise in comparison to the rest of the world. We turn out less people per capita from an intellectual basis than we ever have in history, as well as we are falling behind to other countries around the world. I think we all would agree the smarter and more disciplined a person is, the more successful they become. They are more beneficial to the fabric of the US and less of a burden, both via welfare and dependency. Our school system has failed us. Yet, they ask for more money, thinking money has something to do with educating an individual. Money doesn’t, discipline does. That is why we have the staggering rate of 40% of the population of the U.S. NOT paying ANY taxes. Nothing. These individuals still enjoy the usage of our infrastructure yet contribute very little. I’m not saying that some of us need help for time to time, we all do, but most of these individuals have learned how to work the system to a point of exploitation. All due to lack of education and discipline. Is it their fault they have learned how to take advantage of the system? No. I applaud them. We are to blame. We and our government coddle to them. Sad but true. We have enabled them to do nothing but gain much. Why am I for a library? So perhaps we can help, if just a little, by offering an enhanced alternative to watching TV or playing video games. We won’t be able to touch everyone in town, but as a parent I would like to expose my child to a healthy learning environment within our town that goes beyond just books. Today’s libraries are a stark difference from the libraries I grew up with. They offer much more, including child enrichment programs, child care, computer access and advanced learning programs. I like the out of the box thinking, but let’s get real. This library will be an asset to each and every one of us in town, furthering our town’s appeal and value. This is not a battle between books and badges; it’s a battle between bettering oneself to offer a value to us all and being a burden to society. One way or another, we’ll end up paying, but at least pursuing this course, we will get something in return. We can enjoy both books and badges, we just need to find a way.
Both of you have excellent points, however the city of Indian Rocks Beach is not in the business of education.......and thank god for that. The city is here to enrich our lives through balance of services and taxation. We choose to live here for a number of reasons, for many its location and others it for small town character. I believe the county, state and federal government can do a much better job in regard to education and I know we are falling behind in many areas of learning. We are very lucky to live in a place with so many parks and such amazing services, we are the greatest little city on earth. The Beach Arts Center is a tremendous place for residents and children to learn and participate on a local level in the arts, but where do we stop? We do not have a music program, we do not have a public swimming pool, we do not have a recreation center and so on and so on. The city can not be everything for everyone, we must make choices and determine the opportunity costs of each decision made. I agree that having a learning/media center in IRB would enrich the lives of those who used it. For most of the residents in IRB driving 5 miles in about 12 minutes is not a burden worth missing a very enriching experience at the Largo Library. By the admission of our own library more people use the library for the computers than for books! In addition if you look deeper into the library you will find many non residents are using it for the computers. If you were to poll the last 100 people who purchased in IRB, I would be surprised if more than 10% were aware we had a library and would bet the library had zero basis for their decision to purchase here. I would also bet the majority who purchased here did so for the towns character and low crime rates! The library COULD be an asset to everyone of us, but currently it is not. Now imagine if our crime rates doubled or we had a very horrible and noteworth crime spree occur in town, what would that do to our towns value and appeal? We can come up with a much better use for the library with an emphasis on learning and media and do so without a librarian. If you want the book experience and all the fluff that comes with a modern day library than I would travel the 5 miles to Largo, its worth it. There comes a time when hard decisions must be made that will not make everyone happy, these decisions have costs. The main issue here is that we are giving up the level of badges we have had for many years so that we can spend the money elsewhere. We have many pet projects in town, perhaps if we did not spend money on the USF study or the consultants and so much more than perhaps we could have both books and badges.
that's why we elect people as our representatives. they are elected to make these decisions on behalf of the community.
Yes these elected officials were elected based on what they said during their campaigns. Once they get up there its a whole different story, they push their own agendas and waste our tax dollars.
Although Scott Shapiro's comment may be tongue-in-cheek, what Scott fails to realize is that IRB tax dollars are not supporting the Largo Library, nor are Largo tax dollars supporting IRB residents to think that it is 'their' library as well. It is the understanding that everyone should have the freedom to learn, enrich their lives, become better citizens and not be turned away for any reason. The Largo Library just so happens to have an open door policy. The real question I guess is - what role does the City of IRB and its residents have to help its people learn more, be more learning based, have their lives enriched and have the freedom to have the choice(s) of what they would like to read. Where would we be as a Nation without the freedom of access to information and reading? Perhaps, just perhaps there might be less crime in IRB IF more people used a library, enriched their lives and became better citizens. Just a thought...
Is there an actual tax dollar amount or any dollar amount for the right to read and the freedom to read? I don't think so and I would hate to have it taken away from me.
I appreciate the feedback. First and foremost I never said "what Scott fails to realize is that IRB tax dollars are not supporting the Largo Library, nor are Largo tax dollars supporting IRB residents." This is common sense and I will not comment further. Please let it be known that I am PRO-LIBRARY! I am against cutting our police protection as one of the core essential services that a city must provide like fire, solid waste, and sewer. Just imagine you were only able to flush the toilet one time per day because we are trying to save money. In regard to the other comment "Is there an actual tax dollar amount or any dollar amount for the right to read and the freedom to read?" I say yes there is, we are paying that tax in the form of a war so Iraqi's can have the freedom to read. In regard to the freedom to read here in IRB, we can read whatever and wherever we want. I am not about censorship, quite the opposite. My only objection is increasing the size of our local governement, increasing staff, increasing benefits and increasing services. I feel that we should be lean and mean in this economic environment. I thought the library was doing a fine job with its volunteer base. They have money in the bank, solid caring individuals who donate their own personal time and many loyal visitors. I am a huge fan of the Beach Arts Center, this is a tremendous asset to our city...but its self sustaining!
The Beach Art Center is not self sustaining. Do some research. The city has been handing money over to them from $25,000.00 to $50,000.00 a year for more than a decade. Nothing worse than someone talking about something they know nothing about. You must be a Dem.
Hmmmm Personal attacks, you already lost. FYI I am a Registered Independent! Why dont you get your facts straight and take a look at this years budget, you will see the city is not giving the Beach Arts Center a dime! Yes in the past it was partially subsidized by the city, but not any longer. Why dont you sign your name, what are you afraid of? Its obvious you are a right winger, perhaps you were in favor of the wall street bail out, not me pal..I am pro Main Steet.
Good Luck in your Rant!
To Mr. Shapiro and Anonymous,
You are both acting like children, and I am not pleased. I believe you both need to check your facts. First and foremost, the library has nothing to do with party affiliation. It is neither Republican, Independent nor Democratic based. It’s a house of learning to be enjoyed by all. You’re excessive snipping regarding your party affiliation which, by all accounts, helps you formulate your beliefs needs to be left at the footstool of this discussion. Secondly, you are both off on the Beach Art Center. It has been only 9 years (I believe) where they have received money from the city. And they are not yet self-sustaining. They will be asked, due to the cut in the budget, to hold their own next year. I have watched and listened to many an opinion on the librarian and the future needs of a library in IRB. I am not happy that the librarian/library has been used as a spoon to stir the brewing controversy on our town’s protection. It was never about “either-or”. But it was used as such to drive home your agendas. For that, you should be ashamed. As a frequent visitor to the library, I have come to cherish it. Yes, I am a supporter of the library because I use it. It has helped me in many ways culturally and intellectually. The people are wonderful hardworking individuals who rarely, if ever are appreciated for what they have done with what little they have. Although this is just a guess, but I believe neither of you are in support of the library, although one of you say you are. To anonymous, I believe you are not happy about the monetary commitment the city had given the library for so many years. That money was needed to help the library function and build upon it volunteer and donation base. Mr. Shapiro, I find it hard to believe you are for the library as you say you are. Poking fun at the concept of a library with a ridiculous suggestion doesn’t sound like someone who is Pro-Library, especially for an individual who, for the first time has visited it. Furthermore, your defense to and against any comments on this issue says a lot. To quote Mayor Jim Driscoll “One expects natural things to behave naturally. Jackasses will bray and jackals will root about in the offal. Agitators will distort and circulate fictions. Some characteristics are good, but some, natural as they may be, are disgusting. Those who have diligently served our communities over the many years will serve on, and help, but must think a lot less of those who serve not, but carp much. Above all, one prays for an end to the “muckerism” of ad-hominem insults and slurs in lieu of factual presentations. Inciting such is divisively disgusting.” So I would ask you both, please be part of the solution to find a way to make this happen. We don’t need any more problems in town.
Dear Anna,
This is a blog or a place for commentary on city issues and debate them, sometimes with humor. Both myself and anonymouse have the right to debate and the fact that I am doing it in the open goes to show that I am not afraid of public criticism. I never made this a political party issue and I only answered a speculative opinion with a fact. I am pro-library but I also believe that our police protection is of greater weight than a librarian; and that is my right as an American and a shareholder in IRB. You however do not have the right to chastise either of us for healthy debate. Failure to ask questions and debate with the public is why so many citizens do not get involved and perhaps why we have so many problems here in IRB. I did say the city funded a portion of the Beach Arts Center and I did say that it is now self sufficient with zero funding, I meant to say for the 09 budget...sorry. Mr Driscoll is a great man, but that does not mean that I have to agree with everything he says, that is what makes America great. If you prefer that everyone remains anonymous on this blog than you will have fewer leaders willing to take a role in this city. You are right we do not need anymore problems in this city, but take a look around petty crime is on the rise. This issue was never about agendas, if you rewind this whole library issue you will see the agenda for expansion and a librarian were based on the ability to secure grants. To my knowledge we have secured zero grants. This is an issue about weighting our services with needs and wants, this is an issue of increasing our spending and the size of our government while reducing the public safety of all homeowners in IRB. I appologize that you do not see the issue is greater than the library.
I wish you the best
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