DATE: Thursday, August 28, 1997             TAG: 9708280017

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: OPINION 

SOURCE: BY BETTY BRIDGES and ED SCHROCK 

                                            LENGTH:   56 lines

LET CITIZENS MAKE LIBRARY CHOICES

We read with dismay the headline in The Virginian-Pilot, ``Council shelves library referendum.'' The article reported a reluctance by the Virginia Beach City Council to raise taxes for new library buildings and services. There seems to be no lack of commitment to investing in library services and facilities, just a hesitancy to do it through a tax increase. This is where our dismay turned to confusion. The request of the Public Library Board to City Council was simply to permit the citizens of Virginia Beach to decide the issue of taxation for themselves.

Presentations to City Council in April and June of this year provided clear documentation for the need to invest in our public library. We have aging buildings that need refurbishment and wiring to carry them into the 21st century. We have areas of Virginia Beach with growing populations and no nearby public libraries. And in all of our libraries, we have a complement of staff insufficient in numbers to provide the kinds of services that our citizens stated they needed during a series of recent public dialogues.

The Virginia Beach public school system is also asking for a referendum. Refurbishment of older schools is the issue. We feel it is important to recognize that education does not stop at the end of the school day. Our public libraries must be prepared, as our schools must be prepared, to help each student become as successful as he or she can. Public libraries and public schools are partners in the education of our children. We are confused by reasoning about referenda issues that separate schools and public libraries as if they are in two different universes instead of being mutually beneficial.

The Virginia Beach City Council has been very successful in leading us toward several major accomplishments this past year: the multi-purpose stadium, the Tournament Players Club golf course, the GTE/Virginia Beach Amphitheater are all examples of important investments that council has had the foresight to make in our city. These investments will all pay important dividends in the years ahead.

We know that City Council hasn't overlooked libraries and education. It has built new schools, and its members support a strong public library system in Virginia Beach. The question is how to pay for these investments. We feel that City Council has done its job in helping Virginia Beach grow while holding a line on spending. It's now time for City Council to let the citizens decide if major investments in schools and public libraries are what they want to pay for with increased taxes. That's all we ask: the opportunity to make our case to the taxpayer.

We believe that the citizens of Virginia Beach want a strong public library. We believe that they will be impressed when they learn how their taxes will be used to create a library for the 21st century. We ask the Virginia Beach City Council to let our citizens make that choice. MEMO: Betty Bridges is chair of the Virginia Beach Public Library Board.

Ed Schrock is president of Friends of the Virginia Beach Public Library

and a Republican state senator.

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