Minutes

LIBRARY CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Final Minutes

Meeting of May 16, 2007

Room 278 City Hall

San Francisco , California

I. Chair Dan Weaver called the meeting to order at 6:10 PM in Room 278 at City Hall.

Present: Braun, Cauthen, Cuttler, Kallen, Seeman, Situ, Soto, Resnick, Vogel, Warfield, Weaver. Braun left the meeting at approximately 7 PM

II. Gladys Soto volunteered to take the minutes.

III. Proposed Library Renewal of Set-Aside and Bond Issue for 2007 Ballot:

Ben Rosenfield, City Administrator’s Office; Jill Bourne, deputy city librarian; and Jay Manglicmot, chief SFPL financial officer made a presentation on the planned charter amendment to renew and expand the scope of the Library Preservation Fund (the current property tax set-aside) to permit the library to “issue debt” (i.e., sell revenue bonds) to complete the branch library renovation project from the set-aside revenue.

Members questioned the presenters and discussed the pros and cons of the measure.

Concerns included (1) adequate oversight, (2) making it clear to the voters that the LPF renewal conveys authority to issue bonds, and (3) putting a cap on bond spending each year to preserve funds available for library services. Concern was also expressed about changing the status quo, which uses the LPF money solely to operate and maintain libraries and to buy books and materials. The ballot proposition would add building and renovating libraries to those functions.

Sue Cauthen presented a resolution on the LPF renewal for discussion.

Members agreed that the chair would try to organize a special meeting to continue the discussion and craft a position to recommend to the Board of Supervisors.

The meeting adjourned at 8:12 PM.