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Roddey seeks funding for bookmobiles
Wednesday, October 31, 2001 By Jeffrey Cohan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey is asking charitable foundations to come to the rescue of the county bookmobiles, whose funding is eliminated in the county's proposed 2002 budget.
"He's hoping to find as much foundation support as he can and then look to the Regional Asset District for the balance," Margaret Philbin, Roddey's spokeswoman, said yesterday.
The board of the Regional Asset District, which allocates funding from the county's one-cent sales tax, has rejected the first plea for bookmobile funding. But Roddey is going back to the board in hopes that some combination of RAD and foundation dollars will free the county of the responsibility of paying for the bookmobiles.
Traditionally, the county has covered the entire cost of the bookmobiles, which serve 24 suburban communities each week. The cost is budgeted at $700,000 for this year.
The county has experienced a dramatic drop in tax and interest revenues this year, leading Roddey to cut the bookmobiles from his $657 million proposed budget.
Philbin said foundation and RAD money would give the Allegheny County Library Association a year to come up with a new long-term funding source for the bookmobiles.
County Controller Dan Onorato has proposed funding the bookmobiles next year with a $700,000 withdrawal from a county Department of Economic Development account.
Carmen Torockio, Roddey's budget director, told County Council members yesterday that the Department of Economic Development needs the $700,000 for its own operations. But Deputy Controller James Flynn told council that most or all of the $700,000 would be replenished next year with money that developers pay into the account.
James Simms, chairman of council's budget committee, said a consensus appears to be forming to find some way to keep the bookmobiles on the road and to restore $175,000 to Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall, another victim of Roddey's proposed budget.
Several council members also would like to provide additional money to the Public Works Department to improve trails and signs in the county's parks, Simms said.
Councilman Rich Fitzgerald, D-Squirrel Hill, said the county could raise golf fees and various other park-related fees to pay for the improvements.
"We're looking under every rock [for money]," Fitzgerald said.
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