Florida: Lake County Kills Possibility of Outsourcing Library Services

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Facing another tough budget year, Commissioner Jimmy Conner had suggested looking into outsourcing the library services, which Osceola County did last year to save money. But that prospect was voted down this week.
“It’s our obligation to look at things like this. It doesn’t mean I support them,” Conner said during the meeting, which drew dozens of library volunteers and supporters opposed to outsourcing. Some wore red-colored shirts that read “Save Our Libraries.”
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But commission Chairwoman Leslie Campione argued the library system operates efficiently and a private company isn’t needed to manage the six county branches. Instead, Campione and fellow commissioners instructed county staff to continue to look for other ways to trim the library’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. She said all departments likely will have to cut 7 percent.
“If we had a problem with the system itself, I would say start looking at operational issues. But we don’t have a problem. We have a wonderful library system.

Read the Complete Orlando Sentinel Article
See Also: Elsewhere in Florida…
Sumter may privatize library operations (5/18/2013)

Filed under: Libraries, News