Interview with Mayor Michael Harris

The interview two months in the making is finally here! I would like to thank Mayor Harris for his participation and for his help in giving some clarity to the many issues surrounding the Pleasant Hill Library's current financial woes. I would also like to thank City of Pleasant Hill Public Information Officer Martin Nelis for all his great work in making this interview happen. Without further ado...the interview...

Since this is an interview for a book blog, lets start with some book questions.

1. Who are some of your favorite authors?

I am an avid reader and have many favorite authors. Among my favorite authors are: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Walter Isaacson, David McCullough, David Liss, Isabelle Allende, John Grisham, Brad Meltzer, and Mitch Albom

2. What are some of your favorite books?

Doris Kearns Goodwin: Team of rivals ; Wait till next year

Walter Isaacson: Einstein ; Benjamin Franklin

David McCullough: 1776 ;The path between the seas

David Liss: A conspiracy of paper

Isabelle Allende: Portrait in sepia ; The sum of our days

Mitch Albom: Tuesdays with Morrie


3. What was the last good book you read?

The book of lies by David Meltzer

Moving on to the library budget issue...


4. Can you explain for our readers a little about the library money for green zone trade off that was proposed by the county?

As part of the County's Fiscal Year 2009/10 budget, the County reduced funding for the Contra Costa County Library system and recommended transferring most of the cost for facility management to the cities in which the libraries are located. If cities did not agree to fund the facility costs, library services would be severely curtailed at that location. In the case of Pleasant Hill, this cost amounted to $147,718 for the 2009/10 fiscal year. This presented a challenge to the City of Pleasant Hill because it is also struggling to maintain public services with limited financial resources. Because of its desire to maintain the maximum amount of library services as possible, however, the City of Pleasant Hill proposed a creative solution for an alternative funding source. In exchange for the County continuing to fund the facility management costs that otherwise would be the City's responsibility, the City proposed to fund a Waste Reduction Information & Outreach Program (also known as the "Green Zone") at the Library for the same dollar amount utilizing funds from the City's recycling fund. This solution was hailed by library staff as an innovative and effective way of keeping the library open while, at the same time, providing valuable education and information to citizens regarding the importance of recycling.

5. It seemed as though the City Council had mixed reasons for their decision to vote down the budget proposal. It was unclear to those of us in attendance if the reason was because the city had a lack of funds or if the city thought that the bill should be paid by the county. Which one is it? If the city had the money, would they have paid for the library or would they have pushed that this was a county problem?

The City Council did not vote down the library budget proposal. Rather, at its meeting on July 13, 2009, the City Council voted to approve the funding level as mentioned above to establish the "Green Zone" at the library. The Council also voted to provide additional funding of $25,733 to keep the library open for 7 hours on each Monday through the end of September. As a result of these actions, the Council was able to ensure that the library in Pleasant Hill would remain open for 6 days a week for a total of 35 hours. Otherwise, the library hours would have been cut back to 28 hours. Both of these options were recommended to the City Council in the staff report presented at that meeting and the Council did not vote on any other budget proposal in relation to the library. It is not possible to project what the City would have done if it had additional funds in its General Fund as that issue was not before the City Council.

6. If it is a county problem, what steps are we taking as a city to get more county funding for our library?

The County has made it very clear to the City Council that due to the current budget crisis facing the County, it is not possible for the County to provide additional funding to bring back library hours to the levels prior to July 1, 2009. These cuts in library hours are occurring at most libraries throughout Contra Costa County - this issue is not isolated to Pleasant Hill.

7. Continuing with it being a county issue, with the library literally across the street from the Walnut Creek city line, and roughly 25% of the library's circulation coming from Walnut Creek residents, has the city attempted to join with Walnut Creek to help with funding?

The numbers of Walnut Creek residents using the PH Library should decline once their new library opens in downtown Walnut Creek. Nonetheless, the City of Walnut Creek has recently implemented severe budget cuts and is having problems finding the money for operational and maintenance costs for its new library. It is highly unlikely that the City of Walnut Creek will contribute any funds towards the operation of the PH Library.

8. If it is a money issue, has the city considered proposing a bond measure to pay for the library like it did recently for the teen and senior centers?

The recent bond measure, known as Measure E, was placed on the ballot by the PH Recreation & Park District, which is a completely separate entity from the City of Pleasant Hill. The City has no plans currently for any bond measures.

9. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not ask this last question. In regards to the vote itself, at the time some community members in attendance remarked that it was in poor taste to have third grader Kevin Vasgerdsian call for the vote that limited the library's hours and staff. Looking back, would you have done anything differently in this regard?

By your question, I think you may have misinterpreted what actually happened. As indicated above, the City Council did not vote to limit the library hours, but rather voted to provide additional funding so library hours could be increased to 35 hours per week. (The City Council did not vote on staffing.)

Please allow me to provide a little background on the ceremonial "Mayor for the Day" program. This program was designed as a way to support local schools and raise additional funds during their annual auctions. We try to give the "Mayor for the Day" the opportunity to participate in the Council meeting in a meaningful way to make the experience as valuable as possible. One of the "ceremonial duties" is to call the roll for items on the council agenda.

As ceremonial "Mayor for the Day, " Kevin Vasgerdsian called for a vote to provide

$147,718 in City funding for the library so that the library could remain open for 35 hours a week. Additional funding of $25,733 allowed the library to remain open 42 hours a week during July, August and September of 2009. This vote helped guarantee continued operation of the library at the maximum number of hours fiscally possible and the provision of a new recycling program at a time when both the County and the City are struggling to provide essential public services to its citizens. I believe it was appropriate for the "Mayor for the Day" to call the roll on a vote that allows children and their families greater access to the library than they would have had otherwise.


10. Thank you very much for your responses. They were very helpful in clearing up some misconceptions. I guess on some issues it is a case of seeing glasses half empty versus half full. One last question though that remains is what does the future hold for the Pleasant Hill library? When, if ever, do you expect it to regain its former staffing and hours? Does it all relate to what happens with the economy? Is there the possibility of further cuts next year? What kind of creative solutions is the city and/or library coming up with to help the library?

Good question, but not one that is easy for the City to answer. Since the County funds and runs the Library, it's hard to know what their financial picture and plans will be in the future. We will certainly continue to work cooperatively with the Library staff and administration to try everything we can to keep the Library open at its current level. We are also working on other creative ideas like the "Green Zone." Unfortunately, it all does relate to the economy-which no one seems to be able to figure out. Thanks again for your continued interest in our Library. Take care.

Please leave your comments, I'd love to know what you think.