Educational Initiative (posted 4/12/06)
The Taxpayer Expenditure Limitation (TEL)/Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) constitutional amendment slated for the November 2006 ballot is an important issue facing Ohio's public libraries, Ohio's local governments, and Ohio's taxpayers. The Ohio Library Council and Cochran Group, Inc., a Columbus-based public policy and PR firm, have developed a three-phase educational initiative to help the library community inform others about the TEL/TABOR constitutional amendment. Library directors — working on their own time (see comments below on recommendations regarding the use of public funds) * — will coordinate all efforts to implement the plan in their local communities.
Phase I - Key Stakeholder Outreach (April – May)
During the first phase, library directors will work with library staff and volunteers, Friends of the Library groups, local elected officials and government entities, local public opinion leaders to help educate them about this constitutional amendment and the impact it could have on their libraries and their local government services such as police, fire, EMS, parks, social services, etc. The OLC will provide the following materials for use by library directors:
More information about additional phases of the TEL/TABOR Educational Initiative will be posted as it becomes available.
* Legal note : It is recommended that library directors and other employees taking part in this initiative do so on their own time, to avoid challenges that the library is using public funds to influence the outcome of an election. Library directors and employees can attend a public meetings while on the job to present information about the library's finances, activities, and governmental actions in a manner that is not designed to influence the outcome of an election, however — even though the ballot is on the agenda. In addition, library staff should avoid using library funds to reproduce or mail written materials opposing the TEL/TABOR amendment.
