With all of the talk of fiscal gloom and doom at the local level there are still some who believe that cities and towns are crying wolf. Some believe that the talk is merely positioning, and that the “secret pot of money” is waiting to be unveiled at the 11th hour. I hear comments all the time that reflect the mindset that this is not real, and that the draconian cuts being talked about will never happen. Believe me when I tell you that it is real. Todays Globe details the efforts in two communities that are just begining that could privatize library services. From the Globe:

Already, some towns across Massachusetts are charging for school sports, cutting school bus service, and imploring voters to raise property taxes. But now, in an unprecedented move in the state, two communities are considering proposals to privatize their libraries.
The separate privatization proposals in Tewksbury and Dartmouth are still in the early stages, but the idea is nonetheless stunning advocates in a state where towns often put the word free in the name of their library.

Library Commissioners at the state level oppose any such attempts.

Celeste Bruno – a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, which certifies public libraries – said Tewksbury and Dartmouth would be the first communities in Massachusetts to privatize their libraries. She said the library commissioners would oppose any such move.

“There is a huge difference between a private, for-profit company and a library which essentially belongs to the community and answers to every resident in the Commonwealth,” Bruno said.

Privatized libraries do exist elsewhere.

Privatized libraries are not unheard of in other states. A Maryland-based company, Library Systems and Services LLC, called LSSI, runs 65 library branches in four states: Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, and California, according to Dean McCausland, LSSI president.

In a telephone interview, he said LSSI relies on taxes and grants, but not fees, to run the libraries and turn a profit for the company. LSSI generally does not hire unionized employees, helping it to save on benefits packages.

And why is Tewksbury considering such a step?

Both Tewksbury, northwest of Boston, and Dartmouth, in the southeastern part of the state, have been struggling to keep up with the rising costs of municipal government while keeping taxes relatively low. Both towns are facing possible property tax overrides.

In Tewksbury, officials have told voters they will face deep municipal budget cuts this year unless they pass a series of tax overrides, including one for about $5.3 million. A date for the override has not been set, said Town Manager David Cressman.

Budget-balancing proposals include imposing user fees to fund all high school athletics, senior center services, and trash collection, as well as library privatization.

“They’re all lousy ideas, but so is going broke,” said Jay Kelley, chairman of Tewksbury’s Financial Planning Task Force.

This fiscal calamity can no longer be papered over. Whether it be closing or privatizing libraries, closing fire houses, or laying off Public Works and Police Officers, all cities and towns are heading in the wrong direction fiscally, with some strong medicine coming. For those that doubt the true depths of the problem July 1 is right around the corner. Read the Globe article here.