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Started By
Message
re: SIAP- EBR Library tax
Posted on 1/15/26 at 7:33 am to titmouse
Posted on 1/15/26 at 7:33 am to titmouse
quote:
ibrary taxby titmouseI love the library system here. I think the millage should be set to maintain, not expand. This proposal goes too far with capital improvements.
You are making a lot of sense.
0
Posted on 1/15/26 at 8:24 am to doubleb
The library system is great but incredibly overfunded.
I would like to see numbers on how many people they service at each branch. That downtown one is a bum hotel for sure.
I would like to see numbers on how many people they service at each branch. That downtown one is a bum hotel for sure.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 8:37 am to whoa
quote:
The library system is great but incredibly overfunded.
Yes it is. They admit that, but since they shine in an underachieving parish, some believe they should go unscathed.
They need a healthy budget to operate, a nest egg for maintenance and that’s it. We don’t need more libraries.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 8:45 am to doubleb
They will be getting a no vote from me for the first time. They are over funded. According to a recent Press Club interview with Mary Stein, the library spends $700,000 a year on ADVERTISING. That amounts to 1.3% of their operating budget. I think they can survive with less money.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 8:55 am to Tiger99999
quote:
They will be getting a no vote from me for the first time. They are over funded. According to a recent Press Club interview with Mary Stein, the library spends $700,000 a year on ADVERTISING. That amounts to 1.3% of their operating budget. I think they can survive with less money.
They have to help their friends in the media.
Remember, every govt. agency is dedicated to spending all they get every year.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 9:21 am to doubleb
Libraries should be about Books. We don’t need all the fancy fru fru that these ‘new age’ libraries like to toot toot about.
Keep the roof from leaking and the ac at 76F.
They get the books at wholesale prices and since Brandon came around I buy all my books used. They can do that too.
Libraries don’ t need computers, cds, dvds and such.
Just the Books.
No on the Tax.
Keep the roof from leaking and the ac at 76F.
They get the books at wholesale prices and since Brandon came around I buy all my books used. They can do that too.
Libraries don’ t need computers, cds, dvds and such.
Just the Books.
No on the Tax.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 10:12 am to doubleb
quote:
EBR Library
Should shut them all down.....
Posted on 1/15/26 at 12:38 pm to doubleb
quote:
revised Library tax and a transfer of millions of dollars from the library’s bank accounts to the EBR parish general fund.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 12:44 pm to Tiger99999
quote:
the library spends $700,000 a year on ADVERTISING
I'm sorry, what?
Posted on 1/15/26 at 1:37 pm to HouseMom
Its just amazing
Section from Baton Rouge Press Club Jan 12, 2026 Interview Transcript
Pennie May Landry (20:25)
This (The Source EBRPL) is published monthly. What is the monthly cost? And is this printed in-house or do you hire somebody?
Mary Stein (20:33)
That is printed based on the low bid, public bid law. It's printed by Baton Rouge Printing. It is prepared in-house and the cost is about $5,000 a month.
Press Club Member Pennie May Landry (20:45)
5k a month. And what is the total 2026 advertising budget?
Mary Stein (20:50)
It's 1.3% of our operating budget.
Press Club Member Pennie May Landry (20:53)
Which is?
Mary Stein (20:54)
So it's about $700,000. $700,000. And that includes expos. So anytime the bookmobile goes to a festival or we go to the back to school fair or whatever, all that's included in the ads budget.
Press Club Member Pennie May Landry (21:07)
So do you think, given the libraries are so great, we need to spend almost a million dollars a year advertising them?
Mary Stein (21:15)
Yes, ma'am. Because to get the return on your investment, you need to know what we have. And citizens have come to me and when they finally found out that we had something, they said, well, you need to tell people about this. And I'm like, we're doing our best. And we need your help to do that.
Section from Baton Rouge Press Club Jan 12, 2026 Interview Transcript
Pennie May Landry (20:25)
This (The Source EBRPL) is published monthly. What is the monthly cost? And is this printed in-house or do you hire somebody?
Mary Stein (20:33)
That is printed based on the low bid, public bid law. It's printed by Baton Rouge Printing. It is prepared in-house and the cost is about $5,000 a month.
Press Club Member Pennie May Landry (20:45)
5k a month. And what is the total 2026 advertising budget?
Mary Stein (20:50)
It's 1.3% of our operating budget.
Press Club Member Pennie May Landry (20:53)
Which is?
Mary Stein (20:54)
So it's about $700,000. $700,000. And that includes expos. So anytime the bookmobile goes to a festival or we go to the back to school fair or whatever, all that's included in the ads budget.
Press Club Member Pennie May Landry (21:07)
So do you think, given the libraries are so great, we need to spend almost a million dollars a year advertising them?
Mary Stein (21:15)
Yes, ma'am. Because to get the return on your investment, you need to know what we have. And citizens have come to me and when they finally found out that we had something, they said, well, you need to tell people about this. And I'm like, we're doing our best. And we need your help to do that.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 4:29 pm to doubleb
The library system was FORCED into accepting 8.3 mills by Sid Edwards' minions in the Mayor's office, and several council members. Woody Jenkins also heavily influenced that plan. Had the library board and management refused that rate, Edwards was prepared to put the system back into the general fund and the money he wanted to provide would have led to huge cutbacks in hours and services.
9.5 mills, I believe, is a good rate, it's less than we're paying now, and with 2 rollbacks over 10 years, it will come down to 8.4 - 8.5 (educated guess) by 2036.
9.5 mills, I believe, is a good rate, it's less than we're paying now, and with 2 rollbacks over 10 years, it will come down to 8.4 - 8.5 (educated guess) by 2036.
Posted on 1/15/26 at 4:57 pm to Tiger99999
$54,000,000 annual budget? I just picked Jacksonville, Fl off the top of my head and its library system spent $41,000,000 in 2024. Jacksonville has a million residents in the city limits. Baton Rouge 221,000. If you count the entire EBR parish it is 457,000.
Y'all are getting it in the shorts.
Y'all are getting it in the shorts.
This post was edited on 1/15/26 at 5:21 pm
Posted on 1/16/26 at 8:10 am to ronniep1
quote:
9.5 mills, I believe, is a good rate, it's less than we're paying now, and with 2 rollbacks over 10 years, it will come down to 8.4 - 8.5 (educated guess) by 2036.
You are making no sense. Why set the millage at 9.5 mills and hope they roll it back later? Let’s set it at 8.4 now and make the best library system we can based in that.m
Let’s quit building new libraries and maintain what we have now. We don’t need a library in every neighborhood.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 8:57 am to ronniep1
quote:
The library system was FORCED into accepting 8.3 mills by Sid Edwards' minions in the Mayor's office, and several council members. Woody Jenkins also heavily influenced that plan. Had the library board and management refused that rate, Edwards was prepared to put the system back into the general fund and the money he wanted to provide would have led to huge cutbacks in hours and services.9.5 mills, I believe, is a good rate, it's less than we're paying now, and with 2 rollbacks over 10 years, it will come down to 8.4 - 8.5 (educated guess) by 2036.
I find the language used here to be interesting. There would of been a cut back in services if you had not made a mils agreement with Sid Edwards. This does not say there would of been a huge cutback in services at 8.3mils.
I also found it interesting that Stein talked about how they pay to provide pop-in social workers. "So eight different libraries get visited by a social worker once a week. And they pop in a case manager or a social worker. And they're coming through to us through the Volunteers of America. We have a contract with them."
She then goes on to explain "Now, our reference staff helps people with reference information for social services, like rental assistance or battered women or what to do when you have, you've lost all your resources and your children are hungry. They can get people started on that, but a social worker can take it the rest of the way. And we have so many people in our Alice population, so many people in our community are one or two paychecks away from really needing, desperately needing services."
They are over-funded if they have money for niche stuff like this. She estimated the contract was for around $300,000
edit- went back and looked at amount of contract
This post was edited on 1/16/26 at 9:07 am
Posted on 1/16/26 at 9:45 am to doubleb
The gall and nerve of these people never cease to amaze me.
Last year, voters were told sufficient service could be provided on 8.3 mills. The voters did not approve the renewal.
Less than two months later, they’re back asking us to approve 9.5 mills in funding.
Two words: tone deaf.
An easy no for me.
Last year, voters were told sufficient service could be provided on 8.3 mills. The voters did not approve the renewal.
Less than two months later, they’re back asking us to approve 9.5 mills in funding.
Two words: tone deaf.
An easy no for me.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 10:09 am to The People
The government would tax you at 100% if they thought it would pass.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 10:27 am to The People
The voters didn’t want BR taking $50 million from the library is why it didn’t pass. They will come out tooth & nail fighting for this to pass though.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 1:11 pm to whoa
That is certainly the attitude being projected by the library board. Guess we will see.
I do not think it pass by the same margins as previous elections. I think it is a gigantic mistake on the part of the library to try to pass a mils this high.
But then again, I think it's an exercise in financial stupidity to spend $700,000 on advertising for the BR library system. I hope someone is getting some bonus side trips paid for, otherwise, they're getting ripped-off.
I do not think it pass by the same margins as previous elections. I think it is a gigantic mistake on the part of the library to try to pass a mils this high.
But then again, I think it's an exercise in financial stupidity to spend $700,000 on advertising for the BR library system. I hope someone is getting some bonus side trips paid for, otherwise, they're getting ripped-off.
Posted on 1/16/26 at 1:15 pm to The People
quote:
Less than two months later, they’re back asking us to approve 9.5 mills in funding.
Plus they are keeping 50 million dollars in surplus that they said they could do without.
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