Pawlenty veto puts library merger in jeopardy

Bad, bad, bad..

Pawlenty veto puts library merger in jeopardy
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/06/01/mergertrouble/
"When the county, city and the city library boards agreed to the merger earlier this year, they drafted a set of guidelines which dictate that in the absence of state funding, the three bodies would split transition costs.

But officials felt confident they wouldn't have to do that -- that the state request for funding would pass and be signed by the governor.

So the governor's veto is particularly troubling for the Minneapolis Library Board. It's already on shaky financial ground. Budget problems forced the library board to recently close three of its 15 branches.

....
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has been critical of the governor's role in reducing state aid to cities. He says cities like Minneapolis have had to raise property taxes and cut other services in order to compensate. And Rybak the city's library system has also suffered. "

These types of mergers are always messy. I remember when Tucson-Pima Public Library System went from joint to all county. Many people were upset. It began when the city said, we are not going to pay for the service anymore, and the library had to get creative in staying operational. I hate when politicians like to sandbag library operations on a whim. I know they will prevail, but I guess you can never count your chickens before they are hatched. Never assume someone will give you the money, especially a politician. Yikes!