HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01221991 - 2.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS :--.s.-
a Contra
CostaFROM:
Phil Batchelor, County Administrator 's
County
DATE:
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----
January 9, 1991 ---
SUBJECT: PROPOSED FORMATION OF A LIBRARY COMMISSION
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATIONS)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:,
1. Conclude that the proposed composition of a Library
Commission I as suggested by the Contra Costa Mayors'
Conference Is not acceptable to the Board of Supervisors.
2. Refer letter from Mayors ' Conference to City/County
Relations Committee for continued discussion.
BACKGROUND:
On July 17, 1990, on the recommendation of the Internal
Operations Committee, the Board of Supervisors endorsed in
concept the need for a countywide Library Commission and asked
the County Administrator to return to the Internal Operations
Committee in September, 1990 with the proposed composition of a
Library Commission.
On September 0, 1990 the County Administrator made his
recommendations 'Ito the Internal Operations Committee at a meeting
to which each city in the County and the various "Friends" groups
and other interested groups and individuals had been invited.
Nearly every city in the County was represented at this meeting.
In an atmosphere of positive and cordial give and take, the
Internal Operations Committee formulated recommendations which
were understood to be acceptable to all those present - at least
no objections were raised to the final formulation of the
recommendations as outlined by the Committee members.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: .YP SYES SIGNATURE:
74 RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURES: Zf&
ACTION OF BOARD ON January! 220 1991 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X and OTHER X
REFERRED to Internal Oplrations Committee to continue to monitor.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
�/ 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
n`.)1NANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: III AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES NU ES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: ATTESTED
PH BATCHELOR, LERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Please see Page 2.
M382 (10/88)
BY � DEPUTY
1 �h
The recommendations of the Internal operations Committee were
approved by the ":Bo'ard of Supervisors on September 25, 1990 and
each of the nominating entities was requested to forward its
nominations to the Board of Supervisors. It is important to note
that the Board of Supervisors actually created the Library
Commission on September25, 1990, to be effective December 1,
1990. The Commi�ssiis, therefore, in existence. The problem
is that no members have been appointed to the Commission,
although nominations from several jurisdictions have been
received.
At the Contra Costa Mayors ' Conference meeting in Hercules in
October, the Conference adopted all portions of the Board' s order
of September 25, 1990 dealing with the Library Commission except
for the portion dealing with the composition of the Commission.
At the meeting of the Mayors' Conference in November in Walnut
Creek, the Conference agreed on the concept of a Library
Commission consisting of 20 members, one from each city except
Richmond and three representatives of the Board of Supervisors.
This agreement apparently excludes all other nominating entities
which had been: agreed to by all present at the Internal
Operations Committee meeting on September 20, 1990 and confirmed
by the Board of !Supervisors on September 25, 1990.
The County Administrator's Office does not believe that the
carefully crafted agreement on the composition of the Library
Commission which was worked out at the Internal Operations
Committee meeting on September 20, 1990 would be well served by
excluding the representatives of the Alliance for Better
Libraries, County Superintendent of Schools, Central Labor
Council, and Contra Costa Council.
In addition, there would probably be some justification for a one
jurisdiction/one, vote manner of composing the Commission if the
budget of the County Library were similarly divided equitably
among all participating jurisdictions. However, to leave the
County with the responsibility to pay for virtually all of the
ongoing operational costs of the County Library, while insisting
that the cities have 85% of the seats on the Library Commission
is not equitableon its face.
At the same time,, it does not make a great deal of sense to form
a Library Commission to which the cities refuse to make
appointments because they do not have as many seats as they wish
to have.
We therefore appear to have a stalemate where without the
cooperation of the cities a Library Commission would not be able
to achieve its objectives, and yet the County cannot responsibly
turn over the vast majority of the seats on the Commission to the
cities.
cc: County Administrator
County Librarian
Contra Costa Mayors' Conference
Alliance' for" Better Libraries
Superintendent of Schools
Central Labor Council
Contra Costa Council