Alter plan to allow rural libraries.Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Robert Robert, Henry Martyn 1837-1923. American army engineer and parliamentary authority. He designed the defenses for Washington, D.C., during the Civil War and later wrote Robert's Rules of Order (1876). Noun 1. Batchelor Batchelor may refer to:
Are libraries an urban service, something that only people living within city limits should be able to use? Or should everyone have access to libraries, just as everyone deserves access to public schools? An editorial in The Register-Guard on Feb. 18 asked, "What are cities for?" Cities are where most Americans live, work and play. However, cities are also the main providers of urban services to their citizens. While this may seem self-evident, the question then arises, "What is an urban service?" We think that urban services are those that one would expect in the city, but not in rural areas. Are police and fire protection urban services? No, because everyone expects to have those protections, regardless of where they live. Are schools an urban service? Again, no, for the same reason. Are sewers an urban service? Yes, because sewers do not go to every farm and cabin. Is access to libraries an urban service? We think the answer is "no," because everyone should have access to publicly funded libraries. Unfortunately, almost 90,000 people in Lane County, the majority of them rural, do not have access to publicly funded libraries. One possible solution to this problem would be to form one or two library districts encompassing all of Lane County that is not served by the two current library districts (Fern Ridge and Siuslaw). Indeed, the editorial board of The Register-Guard agrees (Jan 28, 2003). However, the current land-use document for areas within the Eugene and Springfield Urban Growth Boundary "UGB" redirects here. UGB may also refer to Unión de Guerreros Blancos (White Warriors' Union), a death squad founded to repress leftist elements in El Salvador. An urban growth boundary, or UGB prevents this solution. Under the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (the Metro Plan), library service is deemed an "urban" service that should be provided by Eugene and Springfield within their respective Urban Growth Boundaries. While a district could be formed excluding Eugene and Springfield, this would still leave almost 19,000 people in the River Road and Santa Clara Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. areas without publicly funded libraries. Recently, the Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission Local Government Boundary Commission could be the
tr.v. an·nexed, an·nex·ing, an·nex·es 1. To append or attach, especially to a larger or more significant thing. 2. the Springfield fire department into the Willakenzie Rural Fire Protection District. Their rejection was based on the fact that it conflicts with the Metro Plan, because the Metro Plan also defines fire protection as an "urban" service. While one reason for the proposed annexation annexation, in international law, formal act by which a state asserts its sovereignty over a territory previously outside its jurisdiction. Many kinds of territory have been subject to annexation, chief among them those inhabited by settlers of the annexing power, was to free up funds for Springfield, it also could have provided more efficient service to those residents within the district, due to efficiencies of scale. Fundamentally, the Metro Plan is a tool for the governments of Lane County, Eugene and Springfield to channel and control growth. We certainly support that. Nobody wants Lane County to end up like Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . However, the Metro Plan should not be a roadblock to providing more efficient fire protection or access to public library services. We firmly believe that neither fire protection nor libraries are urban services, and should be provided to all citizens of Lane County. The Metro Plan should be amended a·mend v. a·mend·ed, a·mend·ing, a·mends v.tr. 1. To change for the better; improve: amended the earlier proposal so as to make it more comprehensive. 2. quickly to reflect that. Robert Batchelor is president of both the Lane Library League and the River Road & Santa Clara Volunteer Library Board. William Sullivan is vice president of the Lane Library League. |
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