Agenda

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C. 51

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Date:	April 26, 2016

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Reauthorization of the County Library Commission for Six Months: July 1 - December 31, 2016

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 04/26/2016

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Julie Enea, (925) 335-1077

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: April 26, 2016
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE continuation of the Contra Costa County Library Commission for an additional six months, for the period July 1 through December 31, 2016.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

BACKGROUND:

The Library Commission was established 25 years ago on March 12, 1991, originally for a two-year period, and was subsequently reauthorized through June 30, 2016, when it is next scheduled to sunset. The reauthorization process requires the concurrence of the Board of Supervisors and the Mayors’ Conference.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

The County Library Commission was established to provide advice to the BOS and the County Librarian on library services. The Commission also serves to:

Provides a community linkage to the County Library by exchanging and providing information about the library to a variety of community organizations
Provides a forum for the community to express its views regarding the goals and operations of the County Library
Provides a link between the cities and towns and the County and Library Administration through the appointees from the cities and towns
Keeps the Board of Supervisors informed about library needs and community expectations for the Library
Provides leadership in all efforts to insure a stable and adequate funding level for the libraries in the County
Improves the public’s understanding of library services and provides Library Administration with a better understanding of the public’s needs

The County Library Commission was reviewed as part of the regular Triennial Advisory Body Review conducted by the County Administrator's Office under the oversight of the Internal Operations Committee. When the Triennial Review came before the IOC in 2015, the IOC asked the new County Librarian, who is also staff to the Commission, to complete the Triennial Review questionnaire and prepare a status report on the Commission and its work for the IOC. The review (Attachment 1) was submitted to the CAO in January 2016 and is on public file with the Clerk of the Board's office.

The Commission is currently composed of 29 members and 29 alternates. Each BOS office and each of the 19 cities in the county appoints one member and one alternate. In addition there are “special representative” members who are appointed by the Superintendent of Schools, the Contra Costa Central Labor Council, the Contra Costa Council, the Friends’ Council or the Contra Costa Community College District. According to the report from the County Librarian, the Commission's primary work and outputs during the time she has worked with them has been to advocate for State funding (with BOS approval), share reports and information with other Commission members that are specific to their local communities on library activities, and provide a sounding board to County Library staff.

The County Librarian recommended to the IOC on March 28, 2016 that the Commission either be allowed to automatically sunset on June 30, 2016 or reconfigured to reduce the size of the membership and/or the frequency of the meetings and restructure their charge/duties. The reasons for the recommendation include the following:

The large number of the members and alternates has made it extremely difficult to recruit and keep seats filled;
Also due to the large size of the membership, it has been very difficult for the Commission to develop a work plan and complete work projects; and
Many of the current members serve on their local Friends groups in addition to being an appointed member of the Commission, so their advocacy and volunteer efforts have other established avenues to positively affect literacy efforts and library programs throughout the county.

The County Librarian has shared these recommendations with the Library Commission and the City Managers. The County Librarian is scheduled to make presentations at the April Public Manager’s Association meeting and the May 26 Library Commission meeting. To allow the Commission to continue to function while its future configuration is being examined and discussed, the IOC is recommending that the Commission be extended for six months, through December 31, 2016.

Below is a table showing the prior history on the Board authorization of the County Library Commission:

	Extension
Board Action	(in years, apprx)	New Sunset
3/12/1991	2	3/14/1993
2/23/1993	1	3/14/1994
1/25/1994	1	3/14/1995
3/14/1995	2	3/14/1997
1/28/1997	1	3/15/1998
8/17/1999	1	6/30/2000
7/18/2000	1	6/30/2001
7/17/2001	5	6/30/2006
5/2/2006	5	6/30/2011
5/24/2011	5	6/30/2016

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the Board takes no action, the County Library Commission will sunset effective June 30, 2016.