Public Service

The Public Services Element of LINC incorporates a broad number of community services:

Police Protection
Fire Protection
Emergency Medical Services
Lafayette Parish Library System
Public Buildings
Health Services
Human Services
Public Education
Public FundingPublic Safety
Intergovernmental Coordination

These services need to be reviewed, reorganized, and reordered based on the needs, demands, and priorities of the public. In addition, the political process engaged here should be upgraded to meet new challenges and standards. However, the most obvious lesson learned by this committee is that we cannot apply the "magic wand" theory.

Citizens expect quality, efficiency, and high productivity in public services. It has become evident to this committee that, if we are to get a better return on our investment, merging and/or consolidation of services and functions should occur. Consolidation can and does vary in application and definition. Instead, what the subcommittee has come to recognize is that "intergovernmental agreements" and "mutual aid pacts" are proven tools of merger and can be utilized more effectively. Public financial responsibilities and resources can and should be substantially overhauled to better meet the needs of the new century.

Efficiency and higher productivity are accomplished through better use of resources. Mergers are common in the business community as companies attempt to produce a better product and/or service. Although consolidation is not applicable to or appropriate for every government function, the Public Services Subcommittee has identified government provided services and products that could better serve the public through a merger of resources.

The committee has attempted to focus its attention on both practical and bold recommendations. We know there will be controversial issues for debate. The committee has tackled many of the potential options available and come to some unanimous decisions that are surprising. But, the general public should be aware and should be informed for many of these recommendations to be considered. The responsibility rests with each and every citizen of this parish.

The needs are great, the expectations are great, and public participation in the process is essential. But, the public involvement in and understanding of the process is limited. There are many reasons and many opinions for a lack of public participation in the governmental process. The public information is available but few are bothering to pay attention or get involved. Lafayette is certainly not New England with its tradition of public involvement in the governmental process.

The most challenging aspects of change will involve the political process. While the founding theories for Civil Service, professional unions for fire and police, and political associations of elected officials, such as the sheriff, were well-intended and admirable, contemporary needs demand changes. Civil Service, for example, is too restrictive on salary in the technology fields and too entrenched on seniority.

Altering the political process will require a supportive and cooperative effort between the public and our elected officials on the parish and state levels. Many of the recommendations offered in this report are impacted either by Louisiana legislation or constitutional directives and must be addressed at the state level to permit local advances. And we must recognize that what we seek to change in state law will affect every local governing body in Louisiana. It is indeed a daunting task.

However, as members of the LINC Steering Committee, we have the opportunity to spur an initiative for change and progress in our governments. Lafayette Parish has been known to take progressive leaps. Let this time and this opportunity be our best step into the future for the parish.

SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

The integrity, professionalism, and quality of emergency medical services provided by Acadian Ambulance Service are not an issue addressed by this subcommittee. We readily acknowledge that Lafayette has one of the best EMS providers in the nation. With that said, the committee members are concerned that there does not exist a process by which, first, we can monitor the quality of existing EMS care and, second, assure continued and future quality EMS in the parish.

A major rewrite of the existing emergency medical service provider ordinance(s ) is needed to assure the continued and future quality of emergency medical services in Lafayette Parish. The revisions should allow opportunity for competitive services (public and/or private) and also provide for expansion and strengthening of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board.

Commentary: The committee reviewed the existing medical service provider ordinance and determined that the language is so specific in its intent to define emergency medical services that it could serve to defeat its primary purpose: a quality EMS provider(s). It establishes a set of standards under which an EMS provider can operate in the city and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish and, although the ordinance was well intentioned, it does not allow for either changes in EMS standards and services or a monitoring of the quality of provided services.

The ordinance effectively grants Acadian Ambulance Service an exclusive franchise. This was acknowledged by Richard Zuschlag, one of the founders of AASI, who conceded that his company enjoys a "semi-monopoly" based on public trust. He has expressed support for a multi-year EMS franchise agreement, and this committee further advocates that the franchise be open to competitive bidding. The committee envisions a greater public role in the provision of emergency medical services. An expanded and empowered EMS Advisory Board could assure Lafayette Parish of continued and future quality EMS.

Recommendation No. 2

The existing Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Board should be expanded from five members, currently, to nine and include a representative from the following cross section agencies in the community: 1) Henry Tyler Medical Society, 2) SLERC, 3) Lafayette Parish Communication District (911) and 4) Lafayette Parish Council on Aging.

Commentary: The committee determined that the existing representation of the Emergency Medical Services Board was not adequate to represent a fair and appropriate level of community involvement and understanding of the issues at work in this important public service. Currently, the EMS Advisory Board consists of five members: one appointed by the area Mayors, one by the City/Parish President, one by the Medical Society, and two by the City/Parish Council, with one of the two representing minority interests. The additional Board representatives would be selected to better evaluate the needs of emergency medical services in the parish.

The EMS Board (expanded) should be empowered to determine acceptable quality standards for emergency medical service providers, establish criteria for EMS franchise bids, and monitor performance, rates, and charges by emergency medical service providers.

Commentary: The existing ordinance restricts the EMS Advisory Board to "hearings" on applications for permits and... make recommendations as to the issuance of certificates of necessity." That limited mandate would explain why the EMS Board has not met in recent memory. The committee considered the absence of authority to establish and/or alter standards for the provision of emergency medical service providers to be a major deficiency in the current process and strongly supported the recommendation that this "gap" be remedied at the earliest possible date. The purview of the EMS Advisory Board should extend past "ambulance" standards. For example, it should have played a major role in the recent establishment of the "first responder" program in the Lafayette Fire Department and the deployment of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and the "Heart Starter" CPR initiative.

Recommendation No. 4

The Emergency Medical Services Board should meet regularly, at least quarterly and at best monthly.

Commentary: The Board is important to the community and should institute a regular schedule of meetings that are available to the public.

All parish local governments should adopt EMS ordinances concurrently.

Commentary: The committee noted that not all local governments have emergency medical service provider ordinances to govern the operations within their respective jurisdictions. The potential exists for there to be six providers in the parish with each being limited to the geographical boundaries of the local government. It would be mutually beneficial for all the municipalities in the parish to work with the Consolidated Government in adopting concurrent ordinances and selecting emergency service providers.

EMS should be accorded the same consideration and attention given to solid waste collection and disposal as well as cable television franchise agreements.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Recommendation No. 6

The committee recommends the consolidation of existing law enforcement administrative functions.

Commentary: The Louisiana Constitution establishes the Sheriff of the parish as the chief law enforcement officer. The Lawrason Act, which governs the municipalities of Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott, and Youngsville, requires the Police Chief to be elected. Any and all efforts to consolidate and/or merge law enforcement functions in Lafayette Parish would arguably embrace the Sheriff and the local Chiefs of Police as pivotal factors, as would the cooperation of all municipalities. The intent of this committee is to recommend more law enforcement personnel on the streets and roads of the parish and municipalities. Consolidation of law enforcement administrative functions can help facilitate that objective.

The actual consolidation of municipal police departments with the Sheriff's Department is desired by the committee, but not practical (constitutionally). Intergovernmental agreements may be the more viable option on an immediate and program level. The committee strongly urges the effort to accomplish more law enforcement productivity be pursued through the coordination and consolidation of as many municipal law enforcement functions as possible with the Parish Sheriff's Office. Consolidation of law enforcement administrative functions would allow for more personnel to be assigned to working within and with the community.

Recommendation No. 7

The Lafayette City Police, Fire, Lafayette Sheriff, and 911 Communication District dispatching facilities should be consolidated into one with a backup resource.

Commentary: Consolidation already exists with the Sheriff handling dispatching for the municipalities of Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott, and Youngsville; the Fire Department handling calls for the Lafayette Parish Fire Association; and the Lafayette Communication District coordinating all emergency services. The committee recommends an expansion of the responsibilities for the Lafayette Communication District with the charge of merging dispatch personnel and facilities into one. The emergency dispatching needs of the parish emergency services could be more efficiently operated by this further consolidation. Reduction in equipment, purchasing, operation, and maintenance as well as a better utilization of personnel, should generate an improved and effective system.

More law enforcement personnel should be placed on the street based on a per-capita parish formula.

Commentary: Community Policing has become a trendy phrase in contemporary law enforcement. But just as important is community involvement. The cop on the beat and the man on the street need to communicate. Police have a significant impact on a community. There are the obvious effects of providing protection and a sense of security. But there is more potential for their sphere of influence: Public Relations. There is a need to reestablish that "on the beat" relationship that once existed between police and the public. People skills are needed by police officers to strengthen their bond with the public and particularly the younger generation.

The committee notes that the City of Lafayette is short approximately thirty-six officers for a city its size. Inadequate funding is the reason for the shortfall.

The committee has reviewed the correctional center capacity in downtown Lafayette and recommends the expansion of additional facilities in the rural area of Lafayette Parish.

Commentary: A rural correctional facility will provide for a more economical correctional environment and allow for the implementation of work programs that are not now suitable in the downtown center.

Alternatives to incarceration should be identified and implemented in Lafayette Parish and in the State of Louisiana. Community Service Sentencing and Drug Court are successful examples that should be multiplied within the next five years.

Commentary: The State of Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the nation: 736 inmates per 100,000 population and well above the national average of 434. We cannot afford to continue warehousing persons guilty of criminal wrongdoing. It costs approximately $13,000 annually for each inmate. Proven alternative programs to incarceration, such as the Drug Court, are offering nonviolent drug offenders the opportunity to rehabilitate and straighten out their lives and is costing roughly $2,600 annually and returning a productive individual to society. Community Service Sentencing will require an improvement in monitoring and enforcement over existing procedures, but it too has great potential for the parish. A skills evaluation team is needed as well as the opportunity to work morning, noon, night, and weekends with professional enforcement.

The Judicial System's adjudication process needs to be reviewed and restructured for faster judgements, including more full-time and fewer part-time assistant district attorneys as well as a needs assessment on accomplishing faster judgements.

Commentary: The committee recognizes the inalienable right of individuals to a swift and fair handling of criminal charges. However, that the opportunity exists to exploit the system to the advantage of the criminal and to prolong the process to avoid prosecution and, possibly, incarceration should be carefully examined. This shortcoming in the judicial system should be carefully examined.

The City of Lafayette Fire Department should further examine and develop programs that make better use of the downtime between fire calls.

Commentary: Fire fighting efforts in Lafayette Parish, both public and volunteer, are to be commended and applauded. With the Lafayette Fire Department as the coordinating agency, communication and cooperation have resulted in a professional and effective, parish-wide fire fighting force. The Lafayette Fire Department's initiation of a number of programs including HAZMAT and the "first responder" on medical emergencies, dealing with breathing problems, are productive uses of available manpower.

EDUCATION

The committee identified public education as the most important and serious recommendations presented. The current desegregation issue notwithstanding, the committee debated Lafayette Parish public education at great length. Society has changed the system of education. The Courts have changed the system of education. The committee was unanimous in its observation that public education has deteriorated overall over the last twenty to thirty years. This does not mean there are no improvements and bright spots, but generally, the public educational environment needs improvement and expansion. For this reason the committee proposes bold revamping and reorganization of public education in the parish to attract public attention, imagination, initiative, and support. The recommendations are not necessarily new, but are fundamental necessities for Lafayette Parish education to rise above national and international averages. We work and live in a new global economy. We have the enterprises, locally, to be the best. National averages in education should not be the standard goal for Lafayette Parish students. We should strive to rise above the Southern average and the national average.

The committee recommends the gradual expansion of the school year in Lafayette Parish, over a ten-year period, to "year-round schooling," from 180 days to 220. That would require four additional school days each year over the ten-year period.

Commentary: The objective with this recommendation is to expand the limited amount of classroom time available to teachers and students on basic fundamentals that we feel are important today and certainly in the future. Much has been discarded and diluted over the years to make it easier for both teachers and students and less has been expected of the system. That philosophy and practice should be changed. Much more classroom time is a necessity. School systems that have experimented with increased class time have demonstrated significant improvements. Children today do not fit into an educational system and schedule designed to accommodate the harvesting of crops on the farm. Children do not need a three-month vacation. They need more and better education. Let us take the initiative.

The teacher pay issue that is certain to be an issue is addressed separately in our list of recommendations.

The committee recommends the gradual expansion of the school day in Lafayette Parish, over a ten-year period, from seven hours to nine hours inclusive of lunch and recesses. School periods should begin no earlier than 7:30 a.m. and end no earlier than 4:30 p.m.

Commentary: Our society is rapidly moving into a highly competitive and educated world with technology making astronomical advances yearly. What can be imagined in twenty-five and fifty years is almost unlimited. It is critically important that future generations be provided with educational advantages above the national average. Teachers, instructors, technologists, and coaches need more time to instruct. An expanded school day makes sense. One advantage would allow all schools to provide arts programs--a proven enhancement to learning ability. A second advantage would put school children on a day schedule similar to their working parents. The social, family, and educational implications are enormous.

Programming for class instruction time should be coordinated for maximum focus on the basics which will prepare a better educated work force in addition to new available structured programs in arts education, civics, foreign language, environment, social graces, physical education, and technology.

Commentary: The committee recognizes the challenge presented by the recommendations, but the future of our educational system is important to the quality of life and opportunity for the next generation. Lafayette Parish is not poor. It can and should provide for this expanded public education vision.

Basic student supplies and community school resources (computers) should be provided to public school students.

Commentary: Parent-sponsored fund raisers for paper and other basic supplies may be appropriate for private school support, but is not acceptable for the public school system. These fund raisers are unequal and depend on the socio-economic character of the school zones. Dependence on fund raisers to provide basic teacher and student supplies should be lessened with more emphasis placed on local tax revenues generating the adequate provision of such materials.

Classroom teacher pay in Lafayette Parish should be the best in the state of Louisiana and certainly not less than fourth. Incentive pay and accountability should be fundamental programs as part of this plan.

Commentary: The committee is strongly in support of substantially increased teacher pay. There are no acceptable excuses for Lafayette Parish classroom teachers being paid less than in adjacent parishes, being paid less than the best compensated public teachers in Louisiana, or less than the top 25% in the South. Pay them and they will come and stay.

Recommendation No. 18

When Recommendation No. 27 is accomplished, funding for public education in Lafayette Parish should be transferred from a sales tax base to a property tax base.

Commentary: There appears to be a pervasive opinion that public education costs in Lafayette Parish should be "dumped" on citizens in adjacent parishes who shop in Lafayette Parish retail centers. The committee is unanimous in the opinion that responsibility for the cost of public education is the sole responsibility of Lafayette Parish citizens. Property taxes are a stable and necessary public revenue source. Student attendance and needs do not rise and fall with Christmas sales. Sales taxes are better applied by local governments to build and maintain the public infrastructure needed to support arterials and highways and other public improvements accessing retail and business centers.

A long-range plan for public buildings of the new government should be prepared within the next five years which will outline and program for needed facilities over the next fifty years.

Commentary: Lafayette Consolidated Government has purchased and inherited a variety of city and parish government buildings scattered around the urban area. The study and projected urban development of the parish should be the impetus for necessary public facility needs and locations over the long-term rather than the short term. Adequate buildings, adequate space, adequate accessibility, adequate location, and adequate public design should be consolidated and planned appropriately. The public buildings should be representative of what our community is and wants to be. Our public buildings should be better than they are. With all due respect to the Police Jury of the time, the current Lafayette Parish Court House is nothing of which to be proud. It is inefficient, inaccessible, and has the appearance of a large jail. Surely we can do better in the future.>

Meeting Halls should be planned and built throughout the parish: one in the southern part of the parish, one the eastern part of the parish, and one in the western part of the parish. This should be accomplished in conjuntion with the expansion of the public library system discussed later.

Commentary: The Lafayette Parish population is approximately 191,000. A general average growth rate of 2,000 additional people per year will conservatively project an increase of 20,000 every ten years. Local government should integrate and accommodate public participation in its operation with facilities conducive to public meetings and area accessibility.

The Clifton Chenier Services Center is a great example of local government public buildings designed and built to function within a greater neighborhood area. Town Halls with 300 seat auditoriums and adequate sound and visual equipment should help connect Lafayette Consolidated Government with the greater neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Recreation Centers, into which city revenues have been invested heavily, are great for community recreation and are facilities of which we can be proud, but have you tried to hold a meeting in a room next to a gym? The committee members recommend at least three additional Town Halls be planned and constructed over the next twenty years.

Lafayette Consolidated Government and parish municipalities should prepare, adopt, and implement a formal Public Information Program.

Commentary: What if you held a party and no one showed up? This analogy is the general public reaction to hearings on various government items.....unless there is a problem. A Public Information Program is needed to inform the public on the positive impact of Lafayette Consolidated Government. There is an important need to inform citizens, on a regular basis, of both the success and failure of local government in achieving community goals and objectives. Public relations are usually focused on accentuating the positive and that should be a part of the program, but measures should be included to help evaluate what is not working. Take the message to the people via community organizations, neighborhood groups, professional associations, and churches.

The LCG Public Works Department recently provided bus tours to the various project construction sites in the current Capital Improvement Program. This effort is impressive and should be more readily available to the public. Talk shows, feature stories, and press releases should be supported and made an integral part of the Public Information Program.

The LINC Comprehensive Plan should be a primary component of the proposed "Public Information Program" for the Lafayette Consolidated Government and parish municipalities

Commentary: It is logical and rational to consider the Comprehensive Plan as a spoke in the public information wheel.

Computerize all public information for access through one central website for all local governmental resources. Hire a computer specialist to coordinate.

Commentary: Advancing technology should mandate local government upgrade public information through the internet. The manual processing and documentation for government operation which was acceptable twenty and thirty years ago is not productive with the technology available today. Personnel, departments, agencies, and elected officials should join together to achieve internet access for government functions and have this happen within the next two of years. This should not be a "long term" goal. Coordination and cooperation should be the marching orders for efficient and effective public information access. The technology, in our opinion, is affordable and available. The Lafayette Consolidated Government should expedite this effort at the earliest possible schedule. The LUS Fiber Optic network provides LCG with the capacity to lead the state in technology applications.

It is often stated that government should be run like a business. There is a degree of applicability in this statement, but the greater portion of governmental responsibilities and obligations remain regardless of economic revenue fluctuations. Lafayette Parish local governments, including the Lafayette Consolidated Government and the Lafayette Parish School Board are substantially dependent on sales taxes which fluctuate with the local economy. Students and basic, common governmental services do not fluctuate as rapidly, if at all. Is the current revenue stream for public services adequate? The committee determined the answer is "yes" and "no."

Mistrust of government and a lack of public confidence in public officials have resulted in "dedicated" revenue sources; for example, sales taxes are dedicated to specific capitol improvements. In addition, sales taxes are "split" by public vote with the current commitment of 75% for capitol improvements and 25% for maintenance. These "dedicated" and "split" tax dollars place severe restrictions on the budgeting process. In summary, Lafayette Consolidated Government is handicapped in its ability to allocate revenue resources to needed public services. Therefore, tax structures need to be reformed and overhauled for greater stability where stability is needed, and flexibility when flexibility is needed. Tax reform, however, should be revenue neutral and would necessarily require local and state governments to effect a revenue neutral transition.

It has been said that Lafayette Parish is successful despite being located in the State of Louisiana. This committee has discovered that this observation made in jest is to be taken seriously. Lafayette has and continues to overcome inequities built into the State budgeting process. The committee believes that if Lafayette in particular and Louisiana in general are to successfully reverse our downward educational and economic roller coaster experience, we should restructure our governmental financial resources.

Local governments should establish a broader local tax base to pay for local services.

Commentary: The idea behind this goal is to give local governments a broader tax base so the state can reduce funding many local projects and services in the state budget. The present system, in place for generations in Louisiana, has perpetuated a centralized government: revenue sharing is based on the collection of monies by state government which is then redistributed at the local level. Local governments are funded on their lobbying power and political clout.

The property tax serves as a primary source of local government revenue in many other states. In Louisiana, local governments can collect property taxes, but the collection from property taxes is sharply limited by the state, via the Homestead Exemption. That limits the base of taxable properties and results in a dependency on fluctuating sales taxes and hits local governments with a varying income - particularly school systems. It has been reported that the state will spend more than $350 million in 2000-01 for things that should be paid for by local government. Hobbled property taxes distort the government's ability to plan and program its responsibilities.

Lower the Homestead Exemption, with provisions to retain existing exemptions for the elderly (>65) and low-income families domiciled for at least two years in a primary residence throughout any given year.

Commentary: The State $75,000 homestead exemption on parish-wide property taxes is unique in the United States. Homeowners in this state pay less in property taxes than their counterparts in other states. There are a number of drawbacks to our present property tax situation. Inequities in the assessment of property results in inequitable taxation on some property owners. Because of the Homestead Exemption, businesses and owners of rental property may pay higher taxes. This taxation is considered an expense and the cost is passed on to customers in the form of higher prices. Renters, who are poorer on average than homeowners, indirectly pay the property tax because it is passed along in their rent.

Lowering the Homestead Exemption is an integral part of tax reform allowing local governments to raise more money from a larger property tax base.

Reassess Sales and Use Taxes.

Commentary: Sales and Use Taxes present a dilemma in government financing. It is arguably inequitable and hurts the poor as the poor pay a larger percentage of their income to sales taxes than do more affluent taxpayers. However, it can be a very viable financial tool to fund specific public needs. Sales and use taxes should be dedicated to those public benefits used by everyone - residents and non-residents of Lafayette Parish. For example, transportation improvements are critical to the City/Parish and its position as a retail hub. Streets, roads, highways, bridges, intersections, transit, and the airport are vital to the business, service, and retail sectors of our economy. Public enhancements can be attractions to the parish and sales taxes should be used to further the appeal of business and quality of life priorities.

The Louisiana Legislature should address Comprehensive Tax Reform as soon as possible. The committee urges the Lafayette Parish delegation to support this effort.

Commentary: Louisiana has a regressive tax structure that negatively impacts economic development. Business, from big companies to mom-and-pop enterprises, shoulders 85% of the cost of providing property tax revenues to local government. In addition, we should wean ourselves of dependence on "sugar daddy" revenue sources. Oil and gas, gaming, tobacco settlements, and general business taxation have been the focus of government revenue in lieu of our paying more in personal taxes. If we are to attract new industry we should build a new tax base to strengthen our educational system and to meet the needs and obligations demanded of local government and at the same time be conducive to the new global economy.

Equity in property assessments should be instituted for true reform. Again, this requires Louisiana legislative action which we urge the Lafayette Parish delegation to support.

Commentary: Louisiana Tax Assessors are notorious for "low-balling" the fair market value of property in the parishes. The Louisiana Tax Commission provides some oversight and orders changes when the numbers appear too much out of line. However, the Commission is stretched very thin: it only has seven appraisers to review all sixty-four parish assessors' statewide. That is one appraiser for every ten assessors. Lawmakers should increase state funding to the Louisiana Tax Commission to improve oversight of assessors and make sure property values reflect true market conditions.

User and/or Service fees should be utilized to offset or decrease the cost of providing public services.

Commentary: Public services are for the people. Common services are those government responsibilities that are applicable to the needs of the general population (i.e., fire protection, police protection, drainage, parks, etc.). But, there are also general services which government provides to citizens that are specialized (Clerk of Court, development review, zoning changes, building permits, parking, event management, licensing, and golf courses). The citizen user should cover common services substantially, if not totally. Not everyone needs to record official documents daily with the Clerk of Court who operates a totally supported user-based operation. User fees should be increased to more adequately cover the cost of selected public services.

Lafayette Parish has experienced rapid population growth in recent decades. The population demographics reveal a large proportion of youth and senior citizens in the city and parish, an increasing ethnic diversity in the community, and a highly educated population involved in lifelong learning. This places a growing demand on a library system, which is already inadequate to serve the population of the parish. And, with emphasis on economic development and the anticipated continued growth of the city and parish population, the library system will become increasingly more deficient.

In general, a lack of space currently prevents adequate collections from growing and restricts the kinds of services that can be offered to the public.

Recommendation 30

Establish goals to exceed national minimum library standards.

Commentary: The Lafayette Public Library System is below both state and national standards for:

* Square footage per capita
* Visits per capita
* Total collections per capita

* The only favorable comparison is the circulation per capita, which indicates the high demand for library materials in spite of small facilities with limited collections.

* A further comparison against state and national standards show a Library System that is losing ground in building area.

A major expansion of the Lafayette Parish Library System is recommended. This would necessitate the renovation of the Main Library and the building of Area Libraries.

Expansion of public area and services at the Main Library should accommodate the demands of the increasing population with:

* More and new kinds of materials
* Comfortable and adequate seating
* Quiet study areas
* More logical arrangement
* A separate young adult's area
* A program of adult education
* Additional and smaller meeting spaces for community gatherings.
* Exhibit spaces to provide library visitors with additional visual experiences.

The expansion and addition of Area Libraries would allow for better and more convenient accessibility. There should be a library service within 3.5 miles for 95% of the parish population.

The Area Libraries should be large regional facilities of 30,000-40,000 sq. ft. They will be full-service libraries with separate children's and young adult spaces, meeting rooms/exhibit spaces, and (in some) computer labs.

Smaller branch/neighborhood libraries should be like the ones in the MLK Center, the Chenier Center, and any of the existing ones such as in Duson and Milton. They could house special collections and services reflecting the area community.

Increased involvement of the Library in community outreach.

Commentary: Our Public Library should provide for increased services to the homebound and children in daycare. This reaching out to the community should also include the provision of meeting spaces, both at the Main Library and within the Area Libraries.

Recommendation 33

Advancements in technology require the establishment of a specialized business and technology section in any expansion plan.

Commentary: As the country enters the "Information Age," the increase in electronic publishing and telecommunications makes flexibility the primary goal in library design. Telecommunication systems must provide access to the library collections from homes and offices. Other considerations could be satellite links for distance learning, conferences, etc.

Recommendation 34

Expansion of the Public Library System will necessitate staffing augmentation. Increased staffing will be needed to coordinate centralized services and to handle increased business in the Area Libraries.

The Lafayette Parish Public Library System should be allowed to operate as an independent public service free of political influence.

Commentary: The Lafayette Parish Library Board should be responsible and accountable for governing the system.

Conclusion:

Our state is in a downward economic and political spiral. And Lafayette Parish cannot remain impervious to its negative repercussions for long. We citizens of Louisiana and Lafayette Parish should be willing to provide the foresight, courage, and responsibility needed to serve the public's needs.

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