Isn’t it about time the Parish Council stopped trying to balance all its financial woes on the back of the library? Yes, the library could collect up to 6 mils in taxes, but this has been rolled back to 3.5 mils, the same amount the library system collected in 1983. All other taxes were rolled forward at the library’s expense.

To me, it seems merely vindictive to withhold the library’s own funds to repair roofing. Has everyone forgotten how many hurricanes we had this past year? Every day the funds are withheld more interior damage takes place. This every home owner knows. Certainly, it would be nice to have more public access computers, but the older buildings have neither the space nor the wiring for them, not to mention the cost of buying and maintaining computers heavily used and often broken by the public.

As for Mr. Landry’s suggestion that a branch be closed in order to turn the St. Peter Branch into some kind of COVID center doing testing and vaccinations is absurd. Isn’t this why we have a Health Unit which also collects taxes?

Personally, I’d rather have a medical professional in charge of this, not library clerks and reference librarians. Quite frankly, if the entire library system were closed down, there still wouldn’t be enough funds to cope with the road issues in this parish. Parishes with road taxes have good roads. Why the issue to fund road repairs in this way failed, I will never know. I voted for and supported this greatly needed resource. You get what you pay for. I’d say try, try again even in these miserable times. And this time, have council members go out into the public and fully support the issue.

Carla Hostetter

New Iberia