Manager Opposed to Library Subsidy

City Manager Donna Landeros has told the City Council that Ventura should not set aside money in next fiscal year’s budget to subsidize the three libraries in the city because she is optimistic that something can be worked out with the county agency responsible for operating the libraries.

“I’m hopeful that . . . we will be able to not only preserve the current level of services, but add more hours,” Landeros told the council Monday night.

The library discussion was part of a two-hour study session on Ventura’s proposed $130-million budget for 1997-98. Last year, Ventura contributed $270,000 to keep the Avenue library open, and extend hours at the two main libraries, Wright and E. P. Foster.

Several council members expressed concern that the city is not budgeting money for the libraries next fiscal year, which begins July 1, especially since the city and county have yet to come up with a plan on what to do about the cash-strapped, understaffed libraries.

Landeros told the council that she did not want to put more money into subsidies until the current problems are fixed.

“If we are subsidizing the rest of the system and we can’t plug the holes, why do we want to put more in the bucket?” she said.

She noted that the city of Ventura contributed $50,000 to purchase new books for libraries in the city last year, only to find out later that the county had been sitting on a $100,000 trust fund that she said could have been tapped for book purchases.