Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/170820
Sarasota News Leader September 13, 2013 Page 14 Great Recession, it was about $300,000, Ka- He added to Kalajian, "You [are] the poster lajian noted. The sharp decline had led to an child of what we're trying to balance here." erosion of the collection, she pointed out. Chairwoman Carolyn Mason said she was Without the extra funds the board approved in convinced by Kalajian's remarks — as well as June, she said, her collections budget for FY those of former County Commissioner Shan2014 would be slightly more than $400,000 — non Staub, president of the Library Foundathe total amount of state funding assistance tion of Sarasota County — that the funding is the library system will receive. necessary. The system will be losing federal aid, too, Ka- "I feel the same way," Commissioner Joe Barlajian added. betta said. And even though the library system is pur- Because they had voted to approve the fundchasing more e-books, she noted, "Electronic ing in June, Botelho said, no new vote was books are not cheaper." needed to keep the $100,000 in the FY 2014 budget. "This is a good example, to hear this debate," Vice Chairman Charles Hines said. "No one is During a subsequent discussion about backopposed to buying books, but we are spending tracking on the purchase of the long-arm more than we are taking in." mower and reducing the mowing level of ser- A chart shows projected use of the county's economic uncertainty reserve funds (in blue) from Fiscal Year 2012 through FY 2014. The purple cylinder in FY 2012 reflects actual expenditures from the fund. Image courtesy Sarasota County