This Stuff Matters

We sent an e-letter to our membership this past week to alert them to the budget dilemma the libraries face. E-mail us if you'd like a copy. Please don't underestimate your influence on the County budget process. Historically, one can tell that the squeakiest of wheels are the ones that receive attendance by the ones holding the grease. And there's something UNIQUE about libraries -- we see and serve those who in many other areas of life HAVE NO VOICE.

The key to success in America is literacy. Period. Okay, it helps to have money, power, position, etc. But the key to unlocking how to achieve money, power, and position is LITERACY.

The libraries serve the homeless, the newly immigrated, those who have been here for a while but who struggle with the language, the very young who are beginning to decipher letters, the middle aged who enjoy reading for fun, the newly jobless who need resources to help them re-package their skills, the very old who now have time to read, the sight-impaired, the hearing-impaired, the disabled...

It is so VERY, VERY important that we all stay focused on this budget process. It is the only way we can ensure there is no slight-of-hand performed at the expense of the library budget.

And to quote Monty Python: And now for something completely different. A book or two from our Amazon site, RestonFriends1.

Tony Dungy, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance (Audio CD/Abridged) $16.75

C. Ross Greening, Not as Briefed: From the Doolittle Raid to a German Stalag, $24.00

Community Dialogue Continued

Here are the handouts from the Community Dialogue Meeting last Saturday. This link will refresh your memory about it.

The link to the first document is titled FY 2011 Community Dialogues/Budget Development.

This is the link to the back side of that, titled the FCPS Fall 2009 Community Dialogue Meetings; Closing the Budget Gap for FY 2011.

The strategies the working groups were asked to consider were:

Potential Strategies: (Listed in no particular order and based on preliminary data)
Expenditures:
1. Distribute reductions equally against all departments in both the County and Schools.
2.Distribute reductions equally against all departments in both the County and Schools but allow for some exceptions that should take a larger or smaller measure of the overall reductions)
3. Eliminate a specific County or Schools program or service. (please specify)
4. Reduce a specific County or Schools program or service. (please specify) For example, reduce the quality (level of service) or quantity (service hours or number of participant slots, etc.) of a specific program or service.

Revenues:
5. Adjust the real estate tax rate:
a. Each 1 cent generates 18 million in revenue for the General Fund.
b. Each 1 cent equates to $41 for the average homeowner.
c. An 11 cent increase would keep the average homeowner's tax bill at slightly less than the 2010 level.
6. Pursue other sources of revenue:
a. Local Vehicle Registration Fee
$25 fee would generate $20 million in revenue
$33 fee would generate $27 million in revenue
b. Fee increases

• Are there specific programs/services that you would be willing to pay a higher fee? (please specify)
• Are there specific programs/services that should charge a fee but currently do not? (please specify)

Longer Term Solutions to Explore
7. Meals Tax
a. Not viable for FY 2011 budget consideration
b. Requires a voter referendum and a majority of voters would have to approve
c. Each one percent would generate $20 million in additional revenue up to a maximum of four percent or $80 million

Tell us what you think!

Budget Me This

Several of the Board members of Friends of the Reston Regional Library attended and participated in the Community Dialogue on Budget for FY2011 that was held at the library last Saturday, October 24. After presentations by the County Budget office and the Schools counterpart, we broke into smallish groups to work out what each group believed the priorities should/ought to be. A shout out to Hunter Mill FCPL Board Trustee Stephanie Abbott, who attended and represented library interests in one of the small groups. Other Friends board members and friends who were there: Rik, Charly, Pam, Jen, Kelley, Mike S and Lindy. Our branch manager, Andrew Pendergrass, also stayed in the room and participated in one of the small groups.

Many of the people attending were anxious parents who had heard that the Language immersion programs are on the table for cutting back. The representative from the Schools budget office confirmed that everything is on the table right now, which is why these meetings are so important.

One handout was a pie chart that showed the percentages of funds allocated last year to various parts of the county budget.

Library/Parks/Recreation are all one category. The total they shared was 2.2% -- remember, that's SHARED, not each.

To provide contrast:

53.8% Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)

13.0% Public Safety

10.5% Health & Welfare

The back of that handout had an overview from FCPS. Some highlighted statistics:

73.8% of FCPS funding comes from Fairfax County

19% of FCPS funding comes from the State

The FY2009 cost per pupil was $13,340. In FY 2010 this was cut to $12,898.

In the small groups, we were asked to answer two questions.

1. Based on your experience, which FY 2010 budget decisions were a) most acceptable and b) least acceptable?

2. Budgeting requires a balance of priorities based on what community members value about Fairfax County. Considering what you heard as part of your group's discussion in question 1, discuss strategies, and, as a group, recommend a framework and rationale for balancing the FY2011 budget that addresses group priorities.

Some strategies were also suggested on the page. More on that another day.

Our question to you is: what impact did you see/feel/experience as a result of FY2010's budget cutbacks? In the schools? Libraries? Parks? Recreation? Public Safety? Judicial Administration? Other? Comment here or e-mail us via the link.

Talk to us! If you would like a copy of the handouts e-mailed to you in a PDF, please use the talk to us link to ask for them.

/kw

Mark Your Calendars

In case you didn't do it earlier, mark your calendars for THIS SATURDAY at Reston Regional Library. From 10-12, there will be a Community Dialogue Meeting at which the Fairfax County budget shortfalls and the implications for programs such as libraries will be discussed. Due to space limitations, you must register to attend. Libraries have not been well represented by the public in these types of meetings in the past. County administrators interpret that as libraries being a less essential function for the citizens, and make cuts accordingly.

Some months ago, all county agencies were asked to prepare a budget for county executive with a 3% budget cut for FY2011 (beginning in July 2010). This meant finding a way to save about $500,000 more. Near the end of this budget planning, the library system was hit with another, unexpected, request from the county executive. The library and the parks have been asked by the County Executive to submit a proposal for anadditional 15% cut. This would be additive- so our total cut for the year would be 18% (this, of course, in addtion to the 15% cut this year). What this would look like is certainly further hours cuts and staff reductions at all branches, perhaps whole days closed and things like that. It is important to note that this is the county executive's request and is the very beginning of a long and changeable process with the budget culminating the Board of Supervisors final disposition at the end of April next year.

If you haven't registered to attend the meeting, you can do so by going here. You can be sure that several members of the Board of Directors for the Friends of Reston Regional Library will be there -- in our "official" FRRL T-shirts. We'd love to see you there. We'll even have T-Shirts on hand if you want to purchase one for the meeting to show your support for our library. This is important stuff, folks.

Another Option: If you cannot attend the meeting, your opinion can be heard! Go here and fill out the budget suggestion form. Send it electronically and your voice will count! You can reach either of the pages (signing up to attend or opinion page) by going through the Fairfax County Libraries homepage. While you're on the homepage, take a look around at all the library system is doing to provide each segment of the population access to literacy. Explore a little, find something new to try!

Do You Love Your Library?

If you thought the budget news from the County was bad for FY2010, it's about to get worse for FY2011. That's why the Community Meetings are being held across the county. The Board of Supervisors want to tell people what the forecast is, and to hear what is important to you.

The meetings are open to the public, but you must register to attend. There are two in our area:

Saturday, October 24 - Reston Regional Library

(10-noon)

Thursday, October 29 - South Lakes High School Cafeteria

(7-9pm)

Unfortunately, politicians being who they are, they will react and apportion the budget depending on who they hear from loudest. You remember the old squeaky wheel theory? In the past, the libraries have been underrepresented in this sort of meeting. In other words, people have NOT shown up to support the need for the library to have a healthy budget. So, your local library NEEDS you.

It's not just books that we get from the library -- it's a wealth of information. The libraries provide places to meet, they are packed on weekends and afterschool with tutoring appointments. They have conversation classes meeting there. They provide free internet access for those who don't have it elsewhere. They can order books for you from across the country. They infuse our children with a love of reading. I'm sure you can think of many more services you receive from the Reston Regional Library. Multiply that across the county and the answer is clear.

The Libraries Need Your Support at these Meetings!

Register for the meeting here.