Mayor Georges Dinel told local media that the annual budget of the library monopolized $160,000, as if that amount was so exorbitant. And if we replaced the figure in context?
The budget for 2010 distributed with our tax bill reported total disbursements of $8,470,021. The sum of $160,000 thus represents 1.89% of municipal expenditures. So, for a population of 6788 people *, the library costs $23.57 annually per capita.
The proposed relocation of the library in the Roussel house would cost $250,000 to the City thanks to government subsidies, according to the current city council. We're talking about capital assets, which is to say expenditures which are not included in the annual budget allocated to the library. If we divide that amount by the population of 6788, this represents a single disbursement of $36.83 per capita in order to have a library that we can be proud of. Is that asking too much?
No municipal budget will ever be important enough for each expenditure item. We'll always want more beautiful roads, sports facilities of higher quality, better snow removal ... The question is not whether to increase taxes, but to prioritize. There comes a time when we must make the choice to provide services to the advantage of the entire city when its population will be happy to live there and that it will attract new residents, thus additional tax payers. The library is often the most important cultural service in a municipality. It should also be in our town. Over 15 years of waiting is enough!
* Number taken in the annual report for 2008-2009 Réseau BIBLIO.
** Baillargeon, Jean-Paul. Plaidoyer pour une bibliothèque culturelle -- Dix défis à relever, Montréal, ASTED Publishing, 2007.
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