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Respect voters who supported library funding
I strongly object to any attempt by the City Commission to eliminate the 7 mill library funding that has been a stable commitment since 1993. This was also reaffirmed by the Commission in December of 2022. In June of 2023 voters indicated their support for funding increased library services and the 17 mills. They chose not to fund the proposed safety levy. To now divert approved library funds to other City uses is to ignore the expressed will of the voters. As promised, the library has expanded services and hired needed staff. Public response to this has been positive. Without the agreed funding, these newly expanded services will need to be cut. This is not the approach other major Montana cities have taken. Our library is far behind other major libraries in the state and needs more rather than less support.
Cutting library services is short sighted and a disservice to our community. It seems to me that our youth, job seekers and other citizens who are encouraged to read, use library resources and participate in local events are much less likely to require policing.
