thank you for posting. I had heard about this and wonder why on earth your services, and the service of others who apparently also volunteered, are not be taken advantage of...time to ask Commissioner Jones I guess.
Walton Library Funding or Lack There of
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thank you for posting. I had heard about this and wonder why on earth your services, and the service of others who apparently also volunteered, are not be taken advantage of...time to ask Commissioner Jones I guess.
I know that you all do wonderful things--especially the children's program and all the nice things you mentioned.
Do you have any idea why the volunteers' offer is not being accepted? It is a shame not to have the Library open more often so that everyone can enjoy it at a reasonable time -- especially people who work Mon-Fri.
So is anyone putting this together?
Lots of libraries already do this.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist"]Amazon.com - Wish List[/ame]
(type 'library' into the "find a list" text entry and search. 2864 listings!)
I buy a shipment of books and junk from amazon at around once a month or so. I'd be happy to toss in a book for the library with each shipment.
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So as someone who lives north of the bridge, on top of the 25 dollar MSBU I also pay for fire, I also pay a tax for Fire and EMS services? I find this interesting, I also find it interesting that property without buildings in my neighborhood do not pay the $25 MSBU. Why is that? I also find it interesting that SWFD used to recieve moneies from the County, as did all FD's prior to the WCFR and some still do.
Thanks
It could be said that your questions imply that pavement on slow streets is more important than library services. I would disagree. By having a great library, the citizens would have access to better education, and could therefore be a more valuable workforce, which might entice more businesses to relocate here, which would thus increase the tax base, which would in turn create more money which could be used to pave those few remaining dirt streets. I can tell you one thing for certain, paving those streets won't improve the workforce in this area, and will never provide more services for the library.
So you are saying people from LA would rather have boat ramps than libraries....humm.....I'm from LA. Have you been to a park around here lately.....they keep them up nicely and no one goes to them. Had numerous picnics this summer at the parks and there were no kids. Guess they were on all those boat ramps. I see your point.
PS my sister lives in LA and has 8 boats....she would agree with you.
I did not say which of these services I use or need. What I am saying is that tax money is limited and we cannot do everything that everyone wants. I am also saying that quality roads are usually a first step to providing infrastructure.
I applaud the volunteer efforts and ideas to supplement tax monies to provide the service. The first post seemed a call for increased tax monies to be spent on the library. Everyone just needs to understand that adding money for the library requires either an increase in taxes or taking from another area.
I am not sure this is necessarily so; there may a better way to allocate the funds/services without adding more taxes. It is a matter of priorities and looking at more efficient uses of the dollars we have. I am just not sure this is always done. For instance, I find it interesting that almost every place in the state has privatized road paving especially since we have had a Republican governor. Yet, in Walton County we have a public works department that is apparently in the business of paving roads. I'm not a road contractor, but I would bet that in this county, it would make more sense to hire a contractor to pave roads, instead of having the county do it...maybe then, we could have paved roads for those who want them; and a library that is open at a time when working people and their children could use it.
Someone is going to have to show me how it is more efficient to close the library on Saturday; turn down the offer of volunteer staff; and have it stay open for three more hours on Monday and have two or three staff people drive from DeFuniak to work the desk; for maybe 20 people who come into the library. It just makes no sense.
Edit: I understand that planning is still ongoing for utilizing volunteers to staff the library so that it can be open more hours. Perhaps the additional revenue returned to the CC from the Tax Collector (see: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/returned-22384-commissioners-revenues.html/url]) help alleviate the budget crunch to the point where the library can at least be opened again on Saturdays--at least for a few hours.
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FF2
SWFD receives about $690,000 per year from the BCC budget for providing EMS service in the South - I believe it was about three years ago that the county stopped giving them $40,000 per year for Fire Services in the South as they are an independent taxing authority.
As far as the MSBU goes - a public hearing was held setting the rates for various types of buildings. Commercial property pays a higher rate than Residential. I do not believe there is a fee assessed for undeveloped land.
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I would agree somewhat, but not fully. If for example, Hwy 331 were a dirt road, we would have less tourists in South Walton. However, if Juniper Street, home to about 8 residences, were suddenly paved, the quality of life won't change much for the people in Walton County. Adding content to our libraries can help people grow and perhaps have a more qualified working base to attract businesses. THAT, is providing real infrastructure. Paving a few short streets in a neighborhood where many like living on a dirt road doesn't do much at all really, except keep some cars a little more clean. In my former neighborhood, I loved that it had dirt streets, as did many other locals in that 'hood. The County decided to pave it and to do so, they cut down all of the beautiful large Oak trees which made a nice canopy over the 15 ft wide dirt road. They cut a swath which was 60 ft wide, and then paved, painted a center double line, with reflectors, dug storm water ditches. Sure, the streets are paved, but so what. I think most residents in that hood were more than shocked and some, I'm told, were wanting to pull some stunts straight out of an Edward Abbey novel, to stop the massacre and paving.