Friday, July 15, 2005

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Commissioners want library info

Concern about funding levels, services received

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

The Fayette County Board of Commissioners wants more information about how its libraries are funded through the Flint River Regional Library System, but there is no commitment for the county to form its own regional system, according to commission Chairman Greg Dunn.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Association of Fayette County Governments, Dunn said he was concerned about the issue particularly because in the past the county has had a hard time getting concrete answers from FRRLS officials. The commission talked about the issue in executive session last week, Dunn said, because they were getting legal advice and currently county attorneys are working on compiling the requests.

Dunn said he wants to see the FRRLS audits for the past 10 years. The county is paying $72,000 a year to FRRLS, and Peachtree City, Tyrone and Brooks are also kicking in funds, Dunn said.

“Right off the top, it looks like we’re getting double-billed by the Flint River Regional Library System,” Dunn said, adding that the commission has never seen the FRRLS budget.

Of particular concern to Dunn is information he received that Fayette should have three librarians paid for with state or FRRLS funds, but instead only one of those positions is funded: that of Library Director Chris Snell.

That information is incorrect, according to Walter Murphy, head of the Flint River Regional Library System, who spoke with The Citizen Thursday morning. In fact, Fayette is the only in the regional system that has one regional staffer assigned to it, Murphy said. The other nine staffers are located in Griffin at the FRRLS headquarters, he added.

“Nowhere does it say that they’re supposed to have three persons,” Murphy said.

The annual funds paid to FRRLS by the county, set as $73,975 by the FRRLS board at a late June meeting, cover a myriad of services from book acquisition and cataloging to assistance with grants for construction, Murphy said.

In fact, the latter was the main reason the topic was brought up at the AFCG meeting as Tyrone officials were concerned about the county possibly withdrawing from the FRRLS, which could be ill-timed due to the impending construction of a new library for Tyrone that was approved in this year’s state budget. Dunn assured the group that no such move was underfoot but the commission was determined to get answers to its questions.

Dunn said it could possibly be that Fayette is getting a fair shake from the FRRLS and he couldn’t determine that until he gets the information from the library system.

“We have a legitimate concern about where the money is going and what it’s being used for,” Dunn said.

The county could elect to serve as its own regional library system due to Fayette’s size, Dunn noted. The Fayette County Library Board recently voted to recommend to the county that the county’s funding to FRRLS be drastically cut, but the board hasn’t taken any action along those lines, noted Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham.

If the county were to go on its own, it might qualify for several state-paid positions, Murphy said Thursday. The county would also have to figure out how to provide services it already receives from FRRLS, Murphy noted.

In addition to the acquisition and cataloging of books, FRRLS also secured funds for the PINES computer network system at the Fayette County, Peachtree City and Tyrone libraries, Murphy said. FRRLS also pays for access to the GALILEO database system, he said.

Additionally, FRRLS compiles all annual reports for the library system, which are required at the state and federal level, Murphy said. A FRRLS staffer also arranges auditions of persons who can enhance libraries’ summer reading programs, Murphy said.

FRRLS also just started using a courier service to send items between the Fayette libraries and the FRRLS headquarters, Murphy noted.

FRRLS gets 38 cents per person in the entire region from the state to purchase books, Murphy said. Fayette County will get $41,319 from those funds this year to buy materials, he said.

FRRLS serves eight libraries in six counties, including the Fayette County library and the libraries in Tyrone, Peachtree City and Brooks.

The concerns of the Fayette County Library Board may be off base due to incorrect information, Murphy said, adding that he will work to provide information requested by Dunn. The cities and counties that participate in FRRLS trust the system, he noted.

“We have a responsibility to maintain that trust,” Murphy said.