Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge St. Helens council to preserve library services as budget talk intensifies
Summary
Multiple residents at the April 1 meeting urged the council to protect St. Helens library services from proposed cuts, raised concerns about tourism revenue and police overtime, and announced local fundraising to support the library.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the April 1 meeting to urge the St. Helens City Council to prioritize library services and to highlight broader community impacts from proposed budget reductions.
Nick Helmick (identified on the record as "Helmick, city of St. Helens") described weekly family visits to the library and said the service has aided his young child's development, adding: "I think it's a sign of a failed society if we can't operate a library." He also announced a June 13 South Fourth Street barbecue and a small raffle to raise funds for the library.
Vince Scarino, a resident who said he recently moved back to St. Helens, urged the council to consider how cuts to library, parks and recreation programs would affect families and community trust if decisions are made without attention to local impacts.
Kim Toskey raised two related concerns: that the tourism account had been counted on to contribute significant revenue (she referenced a previously discussed $300,000 figure) and that police overtime was projected to exceed budgeted amounts, suggesting the council require the police chief to meet budget targets prior to cutting other departments.
Brady Priem disputed some tourism figures presented earlier in the meeting, asserting the pledged amount was $465,000 (not $300,000) and asked the council for clarity on debt-service and arbitrage fees. Priem also questioned statements made about police shift schedules and overtime solutions.
Several commenters urged the council to weigh the real-world impacts of program cuts on families and community services. Council members acknowledged the public comments during council reports and thanked library and recreation staff in attendance for their advocacy.
