By Laura Lane
He is following the lead of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who wants local governments to look into consolidating services, including water, parks, roads, sanitation, sewers, fire departments and libraries to reduce the property-tax burden on residents.
Suozzi has awarded contracts to two firms - Public Financial Management, in partnership with the Center for Governmental Research and Hofstra University's Center for Suburban Studies; and Malcolm Pirnie, an environmental engineering and consulting firm - to develop proposals in four service areas: school business functions, parks, road maintenance and libraries.
"Nassau County has 54 libraries," said Suozzi at a recent Long Island meeting of the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness. "We are exploring the possibility of creating a centralized countywide public library district that would have the taxing authority to replace the current decentralized taxing system, and would serve all county residents. We could provide expanded service, and I believe it'll save a bundle."
But Suozzi added that the consultants must still determine how much money would be saved and what the cost savings would mean for residents. And he is not only focusing on savings through the consolidation of the library system. He is also looking into reducing the school tax burden by consolidating business functions.
Arda Nazerian, Suozzi's senior policy adviser and the coordinator of the consolidation efforts, said she has received several calls from residents, librarians and library staff. "There's a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of panic and concern," Nazerian said. "We're at the early stages of studying all of this; it needs to be quantified and analyzed. There will be local input before any decisions are made."
When the Herald spoke to residents, no one was aware of Suozzi's consolidation analysis. Local libraries hope to change this in the upcoming weeks by informing patrons in their newsletters of what they believe will be the possible ramifications of library consolidation.
"I think the entire idea is utterly ridiculous," said Baldwin Public Library Board President Kevin Kamen. "Nassau County has enough problems managing their parks, programs and their infrastructure. The last thing that Tom Suozzi and the county legislature need to deal with is managing public libraries that they have no knowledge or expertise about."
Merrick Library Director Ellen Firer pointed out that districts that have consolidated library systems, such as Buffalo/Erie County, Rochester/Monroe County and New York City, have all experienced cuts in resources and hours of operation. Firer worries that the Merrick Library would no longer be able to meet the needs of residents or provide services unique to the community.
"It's hard to pinpoint what exactly would change were the consolidation to go through," Firer said. "The biggest change will be the taxpayers' money, which now goes directly to their own library. The tax money would go to the county fund instead, and the Merrick Library may not get that money."
Kamen said that local boards have a pulse on the needs of a particular community. The Baldwin Library completed a major expansion of its facilities in 2005, and now boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure and is considered a hub in the community. Kamen said such a project would not be possible under a consolidated system.
"The people of Baldwin have always been careful of who they elected to serve on their library board, and have trusted those of us on the board to manage their library prudently and effectively," he said. "If they get away with doing something like this, you're going to see libraries closing and the quality of service deteriorate."
Cincotta added that she was worried that consolidation would cause some libraries to cut their hours of operation, or worse, close some branches.
Nazerian disagreed, saying that Suozzi is concerned about how consolidation would affect services. "He's been very clear that if you can't leave the service level the same or improve it, then it doesn't make sense to proceed," she said. "And Nassau Library Systems is a terrific organization. It might make sense to empower them more so the business aspect of the library is more centralized."
Dr. Matthew Kuschner, a North Merrick resident who often attends North Merrick library board meetings, believes Suozzi's proposal is worth looking into. "If you look at the Bellmore-Merrick community, we have four libraries," said Kuschner, stressing that although he is a North Merrick Elementary School trustee, he was speaking as a private citizen. "There is no reason why one director couldn't handle all four. There's too much bureaucracy."
Debra Rizzo, who attends Storytime often with her young daughter, was not aware of Suozzi's investigation into consolidating libraries. "I'm concerned that there will be other changes that he's not discussing," Rizzo said. "Will there be less children's programs, for example? If you are a Merrick resident, can you go to other libraries and sign up right away for programs instead of waiting until the local residents sign up first? And if you can go to any library, will the programs fill up faster?"
One children's library staff member at the Merrick Library said she wondered if she would be considered a county employee. And she worried that those in charge at the county may not know what it takes to run a successful library.
Bonnie Markel, head of the Children's Department at the Merrick Library, said she worried that the library's ability to order materials may be taken away. Suozzi's report will be finished in early February, at which time he will decide whether to move forward with the idea of consolidating the county's libraries.
Some Nassau County legislators, however, opposed the idea. "I don't support it," said Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin). "People in Rockville Centre and Baldwin know what's best for their community. Libraries are unique places - so much more than just books - and they're special to each community."
Anthony Rifilato and Judy Rattner contributed to this story? Comments about it? LLane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
