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Arkansas Court Rules against 2005 Library AppropriationsThe Arkansas Supreme Court ruled June 7 that money approved by the state legislature in 2005 for two library projects was appropriated unconstitutionally. Lawmakers had allocated $190,000 for a new facility for the Jacksonville branch of the Central Arkansas Library System and $50,000 for the Cleburne County Library in Heber Springs directly from the General Improvement Fund, rather than making the funds available to the Arkansas State Library to disburse.Former state Rep. Mike Wilson of Jacksonville, who brought the case to court, said the projects violated Amendment 14 of the constitution, which prohibits funding for “special or local legislation” and was intended to avoid pork barrel projects. A similar ruling in December 2006 prompted the legislature to modify the way it allocated state surplus money, the Arkansas News Bureau reported June 8. CALS Director Bobby Roberts told American Libraries that losing the money would not affect the construction of the new $3.5-million Jacksonville branch, slated for groundbreaking in August. “We thought all along that the way the General Assembly had been appropriating this money for local projects was running afoul of the state constitution,” he said. “Our system is a large one, so we can bear the loss. I’m much more concerned about the smaller, rural libraries in Arkansas that just don’t have a strong tax base or a local effort to get the buildings built.” Other project funding ruled unconstitutional included $10,000 for the Reed’s Bridge Preservation Society in Jacksonville and $20,000 for the Jacksonville Museum of Military History. Posted June 8, 2007. |
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