Toronto Library Board Rejects Mayor’s Demand for 10% Budget Cut

From the The Globe and Mail:

Toronto’s library board has voted to reject Rob Ford’s demand for a 10 per cent cut, marking a clear split between the mayor and the board he chose to head one of the city’s largest agencies.
In an 8-5 decision, directors thwarted a proposal from board chair Councillor Paul Ainslie to exact savings by carving 7 per cent of the hours from 56 branches – a motion supported by the mayor’s office that would have shed $5.1-million from the library budget.
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The decision will now go to budget committee and then on to City Council. Last year, a previous library board fell short of reduction targets and ended up having to close the Urban Affairs branch once its budget reached council. But board member Councillor Janet Davis expects Council to snub the mayor and pass the library budget unscathed this year. “I don’t think the mayor can impose a 10 per cent reduction,” she said. “His own hand-picked executive right here rejected it.”
On Monday, directors debated a package of new suggestions from City Librarian Jane Pyper to meet the target, including installation of automated sorters, cutting the collections budget by $3-million and terminating bookmobile, adult literacy and student outreach programs.

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