MADEIRA BEACH – Are board members of the Gulf Beaches Public Library obligated to serve the wishes of the communities they represent?
The library is supported by five beach cities that contribute $180,000 toward its annual budget. That funding is critical to the library’s operation.
However, the library’s board of directors functions independently of any direct municipal controls.
The cities did step in last year when the library’s finances appeared in disarray and Treasure Island threatened to pull its support. Then-library director Jan Horah was forced to resign as a result and new financial controls were instituted.
The independence of library board members was brought into question at the Nov. 10 Madeira Beach commission meeting when two commissioners voiced their displeasure with an action of one of the city’s appointed library representatives.
At issue was board member Denise Adis’ decision to vote against an agreement allowing Madeira Beach to continue providing accounting and financial services to the library.
The assistance has been widely praised and credited with restoring confidence in the library’s financial stability following a period of uncertainty and potential collapse.
When the library board recently voted to renew the agreement, Madeira Beach’s two representatives split on the issue. Vice Mayor Nancy Oakley was in favor, Adis voted no.
The agreement was approved narrowly, in a 6-4 decision.
Adis’ action displeased Oakley and Commissioner Steve Kochick, who felt her vote should have represented the city’s position on the issue, rather than her own.
“She is not representing what our positions are,” Kochick said.
Oakley said Adis needs to attend commission meetings, understand the city’s viewpoint on the issues and express the wishes of the commission.
In a later comment, Adis made it clear she disagrees.
Adis said she voted against the agreement because it contained a clause stating the library will “provide no services that are unlawful or offensive.” She fears that language could be used by the city to object to certain books or programs sponsored by the library, leading to an unwanted intrusion into the library’s operation.
“I have no objection to the financial arrangement; in fact, I feel Madeira Beach is doing an excellent job,” Adis said. “But I do have a problem with language in the contract that lets the city decide what is offensive at the library.”
In a larger context, Adis said that, by law, library trustees (board members) establish policies for the library. “The trustees should listen to their towns, but we’re not going to (take actions) just because the town says to.”
“There is a danger of separation of powers in the way Madeira Beach is acting,” Adis stressed, adding, “I’m a little put off by the way they’re handling this.”
Tourism lowers taxes
Be kind to tourists; they pay your taxes. That’s the message left by Rhonda Sanborn of the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Convention and Visitors Bureau when she spoke to the Nov. 10 Board of Commissioners meeting. There is no state income tax in Florida because of tourism, Sanborn said.
Locally, the bed tax paid by tourists generates $25 million in revenue that is used to bring even more visitors. The leisure market is huge in Pinellas County, making up 75 percent of the total. That portion of the business has held up well, Sanborn said, while convention and business travel is down significantly due to the economy.
The area’s award-winning beaches are the top tourist attraction, followed by the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, which drew 200,000 visitors over the past year.
Sanborn presented the bureau’s current ad campaign, themed “Where the beach takes you.” Segments feature Tarpon Springs, hideaways, John’s Pass, Dunedin and area shopping, among other topics.
Ads destined for New York subway tunnels during the middle of snow season urge New Yorkers to “Trade in your galoshes for flip-flops.”
Tourist dollars fund 20 percent of beach renourishment costs and help maintain local parks, among other benefits, Sanborn said. Keep taxes low by supporting tourism, she urged.
Move election to save money?
Combining local elections held each March with the fall general election could save the city needed dollars, Commissioner Steve Kochick pointed out.
There is no reason to hold a separate election each year to elect municipal candidates, he said.
Locally, Largo and St. Petersburg hold their city elections on the general election date in November. Seminole also is considering moving its election to the fall.
Camera presentation
The City Commission heard a presentation recently by a firm offering to place digital cameras at major intersections in an effort to catch motorists who run red lights.
Brad Swanson representing American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz., claimed the firm’s automated red light enforcement system drastically cuts violations and reduces resulting collisions and fatalities.
The system would be installed and operated at no cost to the city, Swanson said. The company receives a share of violators’ fines, which can run up to $150 per offense. The system is currently deployed in more than 35 cities in 26 states, including a number of Florida communities, Swanson said.
Traffic citations resulting from camera detection systems have also been the subject of numerous lawsuits in Florida, City Attorney Michael Connolly said.
He said the rules for violations are not uniform. A bill now before the Florida Legislature deals with the subject, Connolly said. He urged the commission to wait until that legislation passes before implementing the system.
In the meantime, City Manager W.D. Higginbotham said he would consult with city managers in communities using the camera.
