Tauranga's mobile library service is on notice and will be pulled unless a new funder is found.
Its other saviour could be a sufficient community backlash to make Tauranga City Councillors change their minds.
The recommendation for the council's draft Ten Year Plan is that unless the mobile service is paid for by the low decile schools and rest home residents who depend on it, it will go.
Tauranga's mobile library is at risk of ceasing to operate.
The mobile library came under scrutiny at a workshop on library services where libraries manager Jill Best was asked to begin looking for other ways to fund the service.
She came back to this week's Ten Year Plan meeting saying if the current seven schools and one kindergarten decline to pay the charge and the MLS goes onto to existing public stops the potential saving would be about $39,000.
There will also be saving on wear and tear of books as issues will drop about 45 per cent. If the six rest homes don't pay up the savings will be about $5750.
The early indication from the schools is that they are not in a position to pay, says Jill.
It sparked a round of government bashing, with Councillor Wayne Moultrie saying it is another example of the government ducking responsibility and offloading it onto local authorities.
'It is not our responsibility to take books to schools – these are government funded.”
If the schools are able to pay, Jill says the bus can either be routed to other public stops – or left in the shed for two days a week.
It would be the same as taking the bus off the road for two days a week.
Councillor David Stewart said if they were going to take the bus off for two days they might as well remove it altogether.
The early indications are the schools are unable to pay. The estimated marginal cost to schools is $75 and hour, compared with $65 for the retirement homes. The schools require additional staff to process a lot of books in a short time.
David suggested the MLS be stopped and the $250,000 budget go back into the general library services.
The information in the report on library services is that less that one per cent of city library users are MLS customers.
There was talk that the art gallery bus is boosting school children's use of the library beyond that of the MLS.
It prompted Bill Faulkner to suggest it might be cheaper to bring school children to the library by taxi than it is to operate the bus.
12 comments
More info & hypocrisy exposed ..
Posted on 17-09-2011 15:06 | By Murray.Guy
An (almost) unbelievable decision, requiring the service to our communities most vulnerable, to be 100% user pays (no impact on rates, no subsidy) spearheaded by Mount/Papamoa Ward Councillors, Moultrie and David Stewart, Crs Baldock, Molloy and Faulkner, Cr Christiansen going with the majority. My offer to personally support staff with approaches to schools and users for a contribution was met with the usual show of disrespect. Ironic when I look at an invite to the new Arataki Community Centre Opening in a few days, $3million of ratepayers funds and $500,000 to operate - largely for purposes I certainly never intended my rates to be used for! Crs Guy & Curach voted against the resolution. It's a mindset I can't follow that has as a priority, the to provision of free to the user gas BBQ's, boat ramps and facilities. Mayor Crosby was absent on Council business, Cr Grainger was on leave.
penguin
Posted on 17-09-2011 16:19 | By penguin
Typical of the short-sighted and ignorant councillors who think they know best for the community with the same misguided notion that "mandate" means to hell with the ratepayers (see below). Sure, why not penalise some of the most vulnerable members of the community? After all, they are least likely to fight back. Older people with no transport and low decile schools with few books are the sectors most needing support. I have seen kids using the mobile library service, building a rapport with the librarian/drivers and realising that someone is doing something 'special” to make their lives just that little bit better. So what if it increases demand in the static libraries? One of the main thrusts of the city library over the years has been to ENCOURAGE kids to join and develop a love of reading - yes, the library even encourages class visits. Now the councillors in their pitiful display of 'wisdom” see fit to blow their own philosophy out of the water. Looks a bit like the saga of felling trees against their own rules. I guess the only hope for them is that one day they will also experience a council of the future doing the same to them and oh boy - guess who will be moaning? Incidentally, 'mandate” means - ‘the authority bestowed on a government or other organization by an electoral victory, effectively authorizing it to carry out the policies for which it campaigned'. I don't recall a policy based on ‘shelving' the mobile library service!
DISABLED AND ELDERLY
Posted on 17-09-2011 17:58 | By Crash test dummies
That sounds great ...
I wonder
Posted on 17-09-2011 22:39 | By tibs
I suspect that the MLS was set up when the old bus service in Tauranga stopped. Then people would have been unable to get to the library via public transport and assistance would have been offered via the MLS. Now there's a public transport system with bigger buses than ever, traveling emptier than ever most of the time. Also in this day and age, many of the rest homes do have mini buses. The article above really doesn't give any real data on which to base a decision in the public arena. Poor old Cr Moultrie, as a Mount representative, there are oodles of things that the government would be happy not to pass on to local government, local Mount speed limits being one of them and you guys are happy to hop in boots and all and change speed limits even when the Transport Agency says there's no need. I expect the boss will get back from his council business, discipline Cr Faulkner and then ensure the MLS remains. Otherwise they'd have nothing to put in the $150,000 "shed" that they built for the bus not long ago. Three walls and a roof behind the Mount Library. If the $250,000 budget is a worry, they could thin out the $100,000 library staff and get the savings that way. Note that there is no reference to the operation of this MLS in the WBOP area. It tootles out to Maketu that I've seen. Where else does it go? I've seen it i Bayfair Estate a couple for times and not yet seen anyone enter or exit it.
Other side of the coin
Posted on 18-09-2011 08:14 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
Hey out there - it's not only all about you - as a percentage of the rate paying public the users of this service are a privileged few. Most rest homes have their own courtesy coaches and could surely include a trip to the central Library once or twice a week along with their other trips out from their villages! Most of our schools have their own library and also have computer services to provide knowledge and again the central library provides excellent services for our young people - so get over it and stop thinking about yourselves all the time.
Speaking of hypocrisy
Posted on 18-09-2011 08:19 | By Inconvenient Truth
Could Councillor Guy explain why he supported Tauranga City Council buying the Speedway at Baypark? It seems he throws around words like hypocrisy at others. Speaking of priorities, if he's so against council doing the Arataki Center, which way did Cr Guy vote on the big exhibition center which would of cost 10 times Arataki and I would have thought is a bit of a major extravagance these days. The Arataki center will cater for some our communities most vulnerable. Cr Guy needs to realise that if Council is to make savings its going to have to cut something. I'd have thought it uneccessary to buy a Speedway for an unstated amount. Was that catering for our communities most vulnerable? As for the library bus, yes its a good service but is it really necessary when we get free bus rides which can take people to the well stocked city library. After all, you have to get to where the library bus is parked to be able to use it. Perhaps a really caring council would offer a free home delivery service for library books if ratepayers costs aren't an issue. I look forward to see how much money Cr Guy's visits to schools and users for a contribution raises. Come on Murray Guy, prove that this show of disrespect, or was it disbelief, was unfounded. As for schools it's time the education dept funded them properly, or they spent their grants on the right things, and they don't expect ratepayers to pay for their library services with a bus.
ALL WE NEED IS
Posted on 18-09-2011 16:25 | By PLONKER
That is all, the near to free buses allow you to get to the front door, close the rest, get rid of the free van book thing, drop the staff numbers at Libraries from 150 to the esentials of say 21 (three a day needed then shifts to) pay them what they are worth of $13.50 to $14.00/hour, the boss gets $16.00/hour (not $70,000pa average). All ratepayers then can avoid $10 million added to rates every year about 11-12% ENJOY!!!!
By Inconvenient Truth wants answers, or is there another agenda?
Posted on 18-09-2011 17:41 | By Murray.Guy
Inconvenient Truth might one day take off the mask. TCVL purchased the rights to speedway to enable better control and outcomes of the Baypark site. The proven profits from speedway will be meeting all loans associated with the activity, unlike the Arataki community Centre which will have it's costs met by our ratepayers city wide. I have never voted against the Arataki Community Centre, but I have voted against the cost of construction having secured a fixed quote from 'commercial builders' that would have achieved the same outcomes with a $3-400,000 saving. This was rejected venomously by some EMs and a few in the Arataki circuit (who should know better) and labelled me as anti-Arataki and electioneering to divert attention from their greed and waste of resources. Inconvenient Truth, I sense, has a similar agenda. Perhaps By Inconvenient Truth might answer, why should an established and valued library service be 100% user funded and a boat ramp, community centre 90-100% ratepayer funded?
@ MURRAY
Posted on 18-09-2011 19:46 | By WIDOWMAKER
I know Arataki is a mess, it should be paid for by a local "ratepayer levy" rather than all of us having to pay, that maybe will help and encourage them look after it a lot better. Can you tell me what profit Baypark has made? I have had trouble finding the word "profit" anywhere near Baypark and as far as I can see the chances do not exist in this lifetime to see that happen. Prove me wrong Murray!!!!
An answer and questions for Cr Guy
Posted on 18-09-2011 21:40 | By Inconvenient Truth
No other agenda Cr Guy, just an interest in consistency especially when words like hypocrisy, other agendas and mindsets seem to be thrown at anyone who has other opinions. It's called keeping everyone honest, the accuser as well as the accused. Please tell us exactly who you're saying is greedy in regard to your Arataki statements? You say the council purchased the Speedway to enable better outcomes and it will be paid for from proven profits. Sounds a familiar story to Baypark? Is that being paid for out of profits too, or has the ratepayer had to fund it one way or another? About your fixed quote for Arataki, could you post it here so we can actually see it? Is it usual for politicians to get involved in tendering or quotes? For future projects should companies that want a council contract put in a tender, or should they have a chat with their councillor? To answer your question, a library service shouldn't be 100% user funded. I actually thought it was nearly the other way round, about 90% rates and 10% user. It could be made the same for boatramps or whatever. Decide on a subsidy figure for sports facilities, arts stuff, boat ramps, readers, the old, the young, and middle-aged and apply it to all those activities. That seems fair. Good luck with your personal approach to schools and users for a contribution to the library bus. At a cost of $250,000 a year I think you'll be lucky to get even 10%. Let us know how you get on. The specially good thing about Sunlive is that statements and claims made here stay online for a long long time.
@ INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Posted on 19-09-2011 10:11 | By PLONKER
What ever way you look at it the plan of TCC is to dish out a "Rogering to Ratepayers" or RTR for short. But it will but be anything "short" it is always there and relentless. I think your questions are good and reasonable, Murray or TCC should answer them all publically and in full. However on past efftorts at TCC there is little chance of that until a COMMISSIONER is appointed.
for Plonker
Posted on 19-09-2011 16:23 | By Inconvenient Truth
Doesn't look like Cr Guy's going to answer my question but I guess there's still time. We've got to keep everyone honest, not just the accused, but the accusers.
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