Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez hosts first Mayor's Blue Ribbon Taskforce meeting to develop master plan for future of the Miami-Dade Public Library System
(MIAMI, October 28, 2013) – Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez will host the first Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Taskforce meeting on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., at the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, 2nd Floor, in Miami. The Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Taskforce Meeting will analyze and develop a Master Plan for the future of the Miami-Dade Public Library System. The taskforce, led by Mayor Gimenez, is comprised of business, education and community leaders as well as library funders, advocates, patrons and County employees.
“We all recognize that libraries form an integral part of our community and are an important tool for learning and civic engagement. That is why we need to ensure their fiscal viability beyond the next 12 months,” said Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “The Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force will bring together a broad group of people to issue recommendations that will strengthen our libraries so that our residents, and future generations, can enjoy the benefits of a world-class library system.”
During the County’s Fiscal Year 2013-14 budget process, the role of libraries emerged as an important topic. The decision was ultimately made to fully fund the existing library service model for the current fiscal year, leaving the Miami-Dade Public Library System with a projected $21 million deficit for Fiscal Year 2014-15. To move toward a fiscally sustainable library system that meets the current and future needs of the County in an innovative, but pragmatic manner, the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Taskforce will confront difficult questions, propose viable solutions.
For more information on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Taskforce, please contact Senior Advisor Lisa Martinez at 305-375-2911 or [email protected], or visit http://www.miamidade.gov/mayor/blue-ribbon-task-force-mdpls.asp.