The city antes up to join the library co-op for a year and will try for a less expensive deal later.
By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published November 23, 2003
TREASURE ISLAND - The city will sign an agreement with four beach cities for library services for fiscal year 2004, which started in October.
Treasure Island opposes the library's population-based funding formula, which left the city paying a larger share than Madeira Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores or North Redington Beach.
After getting nowhere with a proposal that emphasized actual library users, commissioners on Tuesday agreed to pay this year's $95,790 and pin their hopes on the future.
An ominous sign came down Wednesday at the Gulf Beaches Public Library in Madeira Beach. The sign announced that as of Jan.1, Treasure Island residents no longer would be eligible for library services and directed readers to a sheet of instructions from the county. The sheet explained the cost of individual library membership, up to $100 for residents of towns that had not paid the county for library services.
Some residents expressed their concerns to Mayor Mary Maloof.
"I could understand them doing that after Dec. 31," Maloof said. "But I was a little shocked to see (a sign) up there now."
Attorney Tim Driscoll, hired by Treasure Island to study the library issue, urged the commission to pay the full amount this year to maintain good relations with other cities in the cooperative. Then all parties could work toward an agreement for next year, including a formula that mixes population with such elements as how many residents have library cards.
Maloof said she would like to set April 1 as a date to determine whether the city will go forward with the cooperative or pull out.
