Library Employee responds to the mayor -president’s allegations of “budget surplus” for EBRPL – WBRZ

Baton Rouge – an assistant to the Library Director Mary Stein is worried about the future of parish libraries in East Baton Rouge because of a proposal aimed at financing.

President Mayor Sid Edwards has suggested a reduction in the financing of urban and money for the parish library in East Baton Rouge (EBRPL). It says the fund exceeds the country’s average and public dollars can be better used elsewhere in the city and Parendian budget.

Stein says the money is needed where the care of children and adults throughout Paton Rouge and the surrounding regions should be maintained.

“We are taller than a lot, but we are also open seven days a week. Not only one library, but every library in our system. It really starts to add,” she said.

The proposal will take away EBRPL special funds and redistribute them. Currently, EBRPL has a property tax allocated by the Library Board of Directors. Stein says the city libraries are already working to reduce ownership taxes, proposing to reduce the mill rate from 11.1 to 10.5.

Reducing the library’s Millage will go to the Subway Council at their meeting on Wednesday. She says it is important to protect the library outside the common fund.

“By bringing the library into the common fund, they will have access to our entire balance of the fund, which people continue to incorrectly call it an excess,” she said.

Edwards claims that the public library system has a budget surplus of over $ 114 million. This issue comes from the balance of the January 2023 Fund. Stein says this is not an accurate presentation of what is happening in their budget.

“They have not closed the books in 2024. All costs are not recorded. All items are not charged on the budget book line that must be charged or downloaded.”

It is unknown if both proposals will be on the newsletter in October.

The library system will offer its reduced Millage speed at the next Subway Council meeting on Wednesday. The proposal of the mayor-president will be presented this day and is scheduled for a vote in March.