A Community Responds: Cuts, Closures and Access

I was out of town when the announcement was made that the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library would be closing 12 of its 24 branches in response to budget cuts from the county. My immediate reaction was to write a check of some amount, much as my response to the earthquake in Haiti was to write a check to the American Red Cross. A friend posted on Facebook, "Glad to see that so many people are concerned about this. What are we going to do about it?" I emailed back immediately, "Should we have a fundraiser at my house next week?"

However, in the cold light of the next morning, I had had time to contemplate my response (and my hasty offer to host an event which would involve me actually organizing my house). First, I wondered how much of a difference my check (which would not be big) would really make. At best, it was helping to apply a band-aid to a problem that would re-raise its ugly head in July with the new fiscal year. Second, I started to wonder: what other budget cuts are going to prompt drastic cuts in services in other areas of the community that I care about? Sure enough, within days there was more commentary about parks and rec programs and facilities being reduced, not to mention the CMS budget shortfalls and cuts in social services. It was like writing a check to help the Haitians only to hear about another earthquake in Chile.

In February, Mary Newsom wrote a column in the Charlotte Observer about the Facebook page "Save Charlotte's Historic Fire Station #2." Her point was that just joining a Facebook group was not, in fact, going to save the fire station. Only politics and policy changes would do that. Now, you could make the point that similar "digital activitism" did, in fact, save the libraries, since now all 24 branches will remain open. However, the basic budget issue has not gone away. "We were trying to maintain the highest quality of service, at a limited number of sites," [library director] Brown said of the original plan. "But the public has asked for locations, rather than level of service." What do you suppose cuts to "level of service" will mean?

Crossroads Charlotte, which is, more and more, becoming my source for all things community-related, is hosting an evening called "A Community Responds: Cuts, Closures and Access" at First Presbyterian Church (uptown) on Tuesday, March 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Mecklenburg County Budget Director, Hyong Yi, will make a presentation. Then there will be discussion about the impact of budget cuts and suggestions of WAYS TO HELP. I think that this is a "must-attend" event for me before I write another band-aid check.

To Do: Attend the Crossroads Charlotte event "A Community Responds: Cuts, Closures and Access" on Tuesday evening, March 30, to get the whole story.