The Card to Supervisor McKay

Below is the text of the card sent to Supervisor McKay's office with some of the photos mentioned in a previous post:

Dear Supervisor McKay,

We know we're not as vital as the police and fire departments. And we're not as large or vocal as the school system. honestly, we don't want to fight with other county agencies for limited funding.

But we do want to remind you of the importance of our programs, resources, and staff. Here is a photo from this month's early-readers program, Gingerbread Tales, with over 25 children enjoying librarian-read stories. A volunteer hovers nearby--she will do the same early-readers program at local schools.

We hope alternative revenue sources will be found for the county. And if not, we hope a deeper look will be taken of non-agency arts of the budget and parts where contracts can be renegotiated--especially for items not impacting services provided.

Thank you,
The Friends of Kingstowne Library

Any Lawyers Reading This?

I am not a lawyer, nor am I familiar with the Virginia Code or the Dillon Rule.

But I would love to hear from someone who is!

I've been trying to find additional revenue opportunities for Fairfax County, to help with the budget shortfall. I thought I found something interesting in the Virginia Code, but I am not certain how things written in the Code work--do counties still need to get permission from the state, or can they act on what is written in the Code?

Here's the section I found interesting (cut and pasted from the Code with quotation marks added by me):

Virginia Code § 42.1-33. Power of local governments to establish and support libraries.

“The governing body of any city, county or town shall have the power to establish a free public library for the use and benefit of its residents. The governing body shall provide sufficient support for the operation of the library by levying a tax therefor, either by special levy or as a fund of the general levy of the city, county or town. The word "support" as used in this chapter shall include but is not limited to, purchase of land for library buildings, purchase or erection of buildings for library purposes, purchase of library books, materials and equipment, compensation of library personnel, and all maintenance expenses for library property and equipment. Funds appropriated or contributed for public library purposes shall constitute a separate fund and shall not be used for any but public library purposes.”

Does this mean Fairfax County can establish a special tax and dedicate the funds to the library system? If so, a 1/4 of 1% sales tax should more than cover the Fairfax County Public Library system, and that money could be shifted to the county's other budget needs.

I'm not sure what to think of the Code wording and whether this is a revenue opportunity or not. I'd appreciate hearing from someone who does know. I've asked this question a few places and heard varying responses--none very solid. I'm waiting to hear from one of our local officials' offices; they are looking into it.

Thanksgifting and Thankful for a Job

Today the Kingstowne Library staff and volunteers held their annual Thanksgifting party. No, that's not a typo: Thanksgifting.

Some companies have holiday parties with a secret Santa gift exchange. Instead of spending money on gifts for each other, the Kingstowne staff came up with the idea of buying toys. Each wraps a toy and leaves it on a table in the room where they will later have the party--no names on the tags. Then each person has a turn opening a gift and guessing who brought it--based on the gift, the wrapping paper, or even intuition. They learn a lot about each other in the process. Afterwards, all of the unwrapped gifts are taken to a local charity, Koinonia, that gives the toys to the families supported by their food bank and other year-round efforts. Koinonia says this year they have an even larger need for toys than in the past--and far fewer donations are being received. I admire the library staff for beginning the Thanksgifting idea and for including the library volunteers in the meeting/party.

But the day was not just about toys. I was also impressed with the three staff members from other nearby libraries who covered all library services during the Thanksgifting event. I was told this is how branches hold all-staff meetings: they arrange for coverage from other branches. Wouldn't it be nice if more things in life worked that way? It's so efficient.

Although this was a staff meeting and important things were discussed, the festive spirit prevailed. Still, I could not help but look around the room and count the people who were once staff librarians but were laid off during last year's budget cut. And obviously I could not help but watch the people who are pegged to leave when next year's budget cuts are finalized. Even though they know their jobs are on the line, they still bought and brought presents for less fortunate children.

I first heard about Thanksgifting last year, when I read about it in an article by one of the librarians. (She is one of the people targeted for a layoff.) This year I attended and saw what it was all about. Next year, I hope to throw a Thanksgifting party of my own or start a trend so that my friends who still work in offices or for companies with holiday parties might pick up this idea.

Happy Thanksgifting, Everyone! May your heart guide you.