Dispute over who controls libraries

As a result of debate between the City Council and the County board of supervisors over library funding, the Library Board of Trustees has become aware of several problems in the current policy for library governance. The current policy gives the City Council governance over how libraries are funded but the County Board of supervisors allots the majority of the funding without the final say on how it is to be spent. Sara Burnett of the Library Board of Directors claims that this puts the agency with expertise in the middle of the two funding groups and not having any role in making recommendations about library administration and need for programming and resources. She is proposing that this be changed and that reporting of the board is streamlined and that it has the role of making the recommendation for the annual budget each year and then submitting it to the City-County government for review and approval.
Creator: Carolyn Heebner-Swift
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel
Date: 1980
Type: NEWS
Coverage:
  • Santa Cruz County
  • Santa Cruz City
  • 1980s
Identifier: FE-BEN-Library-04

Citation

Heebner-Swift, Carolyn. “Dispute over who controls libraries.” Santa Cruz Sentinel. 1980. SCPL Local History. https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/137256. Accessed 12 July 2025.