All posts in the topic Surprise !!! for county/mpls taxpayers, unexpected library merger costs/ Planetarium scuttle?

Per Steve Brandt's article:


  "City-County library merger running $3.5 million more than expected
    Surprised county commissioners scold staff for failing to see that there
were differing budgeting practices in play.
  By Steve Brandt, Star Tribune
  Last update: June 24, 2008 - 10:33 PM

  Costs of the merger of Minneapolis and Hennepin County libraries are running
$3.5 million more than expected for Hennepin County. That news Tuesday prompted
some spluttering County Board members to cast blame and doubt on county and
city staffers who made the deal. ..."


http://www.startribune.com/local/20902899.html?location_refer=Homepage:highlightModules:6

  ---Reference is made to the "urge to merge" during the rushed process
(remember when the public hearings were held after all the decisions had been
made?). At that time, there were many, many concerns that the rushed process
was not considering the consequences of the 'no details' spiel. We were
continually re-assured the details could be easily worked out later. I was
present when the parking lot was turned over...get real guys (sort of sorry if
that's 'disrespectful'...if I knew the lot were a money loser...others did
too).

    "...Some commissioners said the disclosures in a staff memo make them wary
of doing business with Minneapolis. ..."
       ---Gee, now we can add the county's lack of trust to that of the state
legislature. That may scotch the dream of dumping the Park and Rec board on to
the county (but, maybe the Met Council?). Oh well, still hope the city can dump
the BET even tho that was put on hold -- the city thinking the legislature
might see it as a power play. Kinda like the NRP this year ?
  Anybody connecting the City's 'dots'?

  "...That could be significant given that it's unclear whether the county will
go ahead with previous plans by the city to build a planetarium atop the
downtown library. ..."
       ---Now...there's a way to back out of that. County made sure it got
control of that money in Winter '07  ...much to the chagrin of the library
board (again, I was there at those 2 meetings...no public testimony allowed,
again) . Plans were being made back then to squash the planetarium...just gotta
find a 'legal' way of doing it and still keep the state $$$.

  "...{Commissioner}Johnson said he wants to see how much of the deficit can be
addressed through other means first. ..."
     ---I certainly hope the county doesn't expect Mpls TAXPAYERS/residents to
pay a measly $3.5M out of OUR hide...or cut/close OUR community libraries to
make up the deficit.  Mpls. residents are paying 6% of OUR city budget for
operating costs to the county (along with 1/2 transitional costs) for years to
come along with the 4% going for capital costs until 2032
  ...we're paying the mortgage on property we no longer control.

  By accident tonight, checked the Sept 2006 Henn.Co.Lib Bd minutes...at the
time thousands of Mpls residents were mobilizing & 'begging' the city to fund
the libraries. Minutes state introducing a city/county merger on the
agenda..."someone(s)"  in the city were plotting ahead.  The deal the city cut
with the library board approx. 3 months prior to budget approval (and dumped 15
minutes before the council budget vote) had been planned for a long time.
Shouldn't this have been a warning to the County Board?

  Commissioner McLaughlin took some heat on this today...unfair to blame him.
Put the blame square where it belongs...on both the city (whose public hearings
were also a sham) and the legislature (who was warned there were problems).

  ***Commissioners***:
  ....you got total control over the real estate, art/collections,
  large chunks of Mpls taxpayer revenue until 2032..so stop crying foul (fowl)
and deal with it...***Without*** holding Mpls community libraries, taxpayers
and community libraries hostage.
  Stand on a higher plane than the Mayor who wouldn't open Webber, SE and
Roosevelt library until the merger was sealed, signed and delivered.

  Just remember who we have to thank for this (same group against NRP)...
     --Mayor RT Rybak and 7 council members
       Hodges      Samuels

       Ostrow       Remington
       Lilligren      Benson
       Goodman
  County commissioners and state legislators believed the information they were
given by the Mayor and a  +1 vote of the city council.

  Interesting to see what other 'unanticipated' surprises come up.
  ---Just don't make Mpls taxpayers pay for your 'urge to merge'.

  Tomorrow the appointed county library board will view the 2009 Consolidated
operating budget at Ridgedale Library 5-6:30 pm.  County has its own budget
problems this year so other than the stadium park revenues, don't expect much
with the gov's 3.9% cap.

  and, as a note --
  "Any society that would give up a little liberty  {elected policy board?}  to
gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both"  --Ben Franklin

  best wishes,
  cheryl luger
  nokomis east


I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder
to see them not ashamed.
                     --- Jonathan Swift