Your Help is Needed
During the last 12 months of campaigning, before I took office, it was very obvious that there are numerous inequities in this county, including how and where the money gets spent.
This first piece is dealing with the branch library system. Like most other systems the outspoken (squeaky wheel) or (connected) people seem to get what they want at the expense of others getting less than they deserve/need.
I often hear many cries for “equality” and “fairness” but how willing are these people to “practice what they preach” when it comes to the ideals of sharing resources especially in financially difficult times like those we are faced with now?
We owe the people who pay the taxes an explanation and/or an apology and a change in our procedures. Together we can create a more equitable society, but it must start locally with you and I.
Are you willing to help by joining the effort for fairness and logic?
Honesty and Candor are what we need, not bogus excuses masking person philosophies. If self appointed elitist circles want to posture and promote their benevolence, then let them become philanthropists of the highest manner. We the people, who are the salt of the Earth, will gladly accept their donations, but therein lies the problem.
Most who actually have the means to promote honorable civic activities (I have friends in this category and they are very generous) usually do practice a fair amount of philanthropy, without which many good things would cease to exist. It is most often those who wish to reach new heights on the societal ladder that use unscrupulous means of taxation and unfair distribution of public monies in an attempt to gain their status, which they have not had the good fortune to garner on their own.
At this time, though never ethically defensible, we can not afford to have public monies spent so unfairly in favor of certain groups that lobby or complain more than others.
I hope that after reading this you will feel a desire to be of service in some positive way to help make things better. This example of the branch library system is just one of many that need correcting.
Sincerely, Supervisor Spellman “In the service of the people”
Photography provided by Simon Howden through “freedigitalphotos.net”
Calaveras West Blog 
Thank you Supervisor Spellman for your “Integrity”,…esp in overseeing our vested interests unto our County. This is exactly why we elected you,…(over “ol’ what’s-his-name?”),…and stand firmly by your side with addressing these blatent inequities!
Although, as we all know, this is the “tip of the ice berg”,…and it boils down to the age old question of:…”How do you eat an elephant?…One bite at a time!”. Let start biting!
The new word for 2011 in Calaveras County is “INTEGRITY”!
Sincerely proud citizens,
mike & tina neale
Thanks Mike and Tina! It does seem that this is the tip of the iceberg and yes we will take one step at a time, nevertheless with a determination to provide clarity and fairness. I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Darren,
Excellent observations and questions. How did this come to be?
Is it based on usage? Membership? There can be a large population that does not use the library since they may have access to books on line. There may be a small population that has a high library usage.
Some formula that provides a baseline for balancing these budgets needs to be developed. Population and tax base is one part of that formula, but not the only factor.
In His Grace,
Wayne Scholten
Wayne,
Thanks for your response. At this point these funding numbers are based on nothing more than a will to get what what is deemed needed. The most expensive branch library, in Copper, was offered a much reduced rent rate at a different location, however the alternative site was snubbed by people who refused to move, yet apparently have little regard for equitable distribution of county expenditures. The former supervisor was the one who “arranged” the current lease so perhaps that sheds a little light.
When questioned about moving the Copper site, the answer in return was they feared less usage, yet less usage in other areas are a direct result of less than desirable locations that might improve with a change of locale if only budget money was available. It’s a catch 22.
Regardless of preferable site, decisions must be made based on a standard formula, as you pointed out, taking into consideration various elements like population base, tax base, level of patronage, etc. Sadly however, at the moment there seems to be no standard basis for expenditures other than the will of some influential circles making demands.
Good point of interest, Wayne,…”membership”? Having not been to our local library in the past 16 years we’ve lived here,…do they have computer access for “public” use,…if so, does one need to have a library card?
Also, other than the obvious of lending books,…what other chargable ad hoc services do/could they offer? Neighbor tells of renting a meeting room for a civil legal meet up at the San Andreas Library,…wonder if that opportunity extends across the different locations?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights, neighbor,…we never thought of the membership variable for a balanced equity formula. Well stated!
mike