By Marvin G. Cortner

Editor

The Osceola County Commission today voted 3-2 to outsource operations of the Osceola Library System.

Commissioners Frank Attkisson and Fred Hawkins Jr. along with Chairman John Quiñones voted for the outsourcing to Maryland-based Library Systems & Services, or LSSI, with the $24.1 million contract set to go into effect possibly as early as Jan. 3. Commissioners voting to keep the library’s operation in-house were Michael Harford and Brandon Arrington.

The outsourcing will mean 83 county employees will be laid off; however, employees will be able to apply for jobs with LSSI. Those rehired would keep their current base salary for at least 6 months; benefits, however, would change immediately to those provided by LSSI.

According to County Manager Don Fisher, library hours of operation under LSSI initially would be the same, as would level of service.

“Every county employee on staff now would be offered a position,” Fisher said, adding that laid off employees would be paid all their accrued vacation and sick leave.

Contract details

• The contract after five years is automatically renewable by written approval of the county manager. The county may terminate the contract with three month’s written notice, with or without cause. There is a 30 day termination for default after failure to correct a breach of the contract by LSSI.

• Branch hours of operation will initially be maintained according to their current schedule. This may be changed upon approval/direction of the county manager with a corresponding adjustment to LSSI’s operational budget.

• LSSI’s operational budget is as previously proposed by LSSI for current levels of service: year one, $4,714,380; year two, $4,755,888; year three, $4,817,208; year four, $4,879,440; and year five, $4,941,996. Fees to LSSI from the county are payable monthly in 12 equal installments.

• LSSI will provide routine janitorial and interior repair and maintenance of the library facilities through the use of county facilities staff. The county will invoice for these services, to be paid by LSSI to the county as part of LSSI’s operational budget. The county will continue to maintain and repair the exterior of the buildings and grounds, as well as retain responsibility for capital costs of $10,000 and up.

• Fines and fees will be collected by LSSI and forwarded monthly to the county.

• Programming will be subject to review and approval of the county manager.

• Collections (books and other materials) will be developed and maintained by LSSI, subject to final approval of the county manager. A fee of 5 percent of the cost of collection purchases is included as part of LSSI’s operational budget. If LSSI negotiates to provide another entity a lower handling fee, the county’s handling fee will be adjusted downward to reflect the lower rate.

• Water, sewer and electrical utilities for the library buildings will remain the county’s responsibility, with the county maintaining the right to set policies relating their conservation.

• The county would retain all assets relating to the library system.

Public comments

Vicki Kilroy, Jean Olson, Ed Kilroy and Judith Zwally made a 12-minute presentation on their take on the proposed contract. Ed Kilroy is a former Osceola Library System director and Vicki Kilroy, Ed’s wife, is a former county employee.

The group’s criticism focused on a number of issues they believe are problematic in the contract: no clear showing of where the estimated $6 million in savings over five years would be; the county appears to be hurrying into a contract when major savings would not occur until the third year of the contract; standards of operation are not detailed in the contract; there is no staffing plan or salary ranges shown in the contract; the proposed budget for LSSI is based on questionable financial projections; and the time is now, not months ago, to have community meetings on the outsourcing issue because the public has an actual contract to scrutinize.

John Cortes, of Kissimmee, said his concern is what happens to employees after six months and whether there is a need to outsource the library system when it isn’t broken.

“I don’t see why you have to outsource money to Maryland; these library workers love their community.,” Cortes said. “It’s all about dollars; why haven’t you sat down with employees and asked what is going on with them. Think about the employees, think about the people, think about your community.”

Commissioner comments leading up to the vote

Hawkins, considered the swing vote on the issue, said the contract is heavily weighted in the county’s favor, especially in terms of the ability to get out of it.

“Other counties are looking at our contract – no county could get a better contract. If some county comes up with some better arrangement with LSSI, it would have to give that same opportunity to us. We also have an out-clause; we’re protecting employees; if in six months, this doesn’t work, we take employees back.”

Hawkins also said he doesn’t think it prudent to put more tax burden on residents.

“I did support a higher millage for the library if cuts could be found elsewhere but they weren’t,” he said. “The taxpayers are telling us we have to do something. I’m willing to move forward on this and give it a try.”

Attkisson said he is surprised that a company would be willing to come to town and set up a contract where the county could get out of it so easily.

“I see a library system that our citizens don’t have to pay a premium for,” Attkisson said, promising a vote to outsource.

Arrington said he has never been in favor of outsourcing the library system.

“There ain’t much I can say; thanks to those who fought this,” he said, urging residents to be vigilant about the library’s future quality of service and if they see an issue, they should bring it forward.

Harford said he hasn’t heard from the library advisory board on the issue and that there’s been only about a week – not five months as Attkisson said – for commissioners to review an actual contract.

“We haven’t worked hard enough to get the community’s input into this; we don’t have standards set that we can readily review other than the number of hours of operation … so I continue to voice my concern about this. I still agree, yes, we need to save money.”

Quiñones said there will be community members – like the Kilroys – who will be watchdogs of the LSSI contract.

“We are not outsourcing the employees – the time and heart they have put in the community will stay the same,” Quiñones said, adding that the change will be in management, not in employees and library policy.

“It is important to note that any change in policies or fees comes to the commission; we retain authority to make those changes,” he said. “To say you are against outsourcing of library management without looking at the benefits is really doing a disservice to the citizens of Osceola County.”