Yesterday’s meeting between the Pensacola City Council and the Escambia Board of County Commissioners was a battle of the bears – Commissioner Mike Whitehead and City Councilman Jack Nobles.
Whitehead wanted the county to assume control of the public library system and all the funding because the West Florida Public Library system has grown into a county-wide service. Escambia County pays 72% of the operating cost because 72% of the usage is by residents in the unincorporated areas.
Whitehead wanted to unload ECAT on the city because he sees it as an enhanced service that benefits primarily city residents and city businesses.
Nobles doesn’t believe the city has the expertise to run ECAT. Historically the City has run the libraries, the county has run ECAT. ECAT needs a dedicated funding source (gas tax) to be financially solid. The county commissioners are the only ones who can pass a gas tax. He wouldn’t even consider taking on ECAT unless the commissioners passed a gas tax or created some dedicated funding source.
The irony is that the county had an agreement in place to take over the library system on Oct. 1 but reneged on it in March 2007. Also the county had known the city was going to withdraw from funding ECAT for two years – and had planned to pass a gas tax to fund it in April – but again failed to do so.
Jack appears to have won this first battle.