BATON ROUGE - Lingering questions remain after Wednesday night’s Metro Council meeting ended with no vote on whether to renew a tax for the East Baton Rouge Library system.

Mayor-President Sid Edwards proposed reallocating current library revenue to boost other city parish programs, but the library system is just a piece of the funding puzzle.

The library had initially asked the Metro Council to approve a 10.5 mill for the fall election, renewal of a tax that's been in effect for decades. That’s down from the current rate of 11.1. However, the severity of the city-parish’s budget issues became quite evident and leaders are saying everyone will need to step up to solve the problem.

Hours of public comment ultimately resulted in no vote on the library’s tax renewal proposal. The choice to renew the tax or transfer it, was for some a choice between the library system or bumping salaries for Baton Rouge police officers. Metro Council member Rowdy Gaudet says it’s not that simple.

“We shouldn't say it's either/or,” Gaudet said. “We shouldn't look to public safety or libraries. A great community will find a way to do both.”

Dwight Hudson, Metro Council District 9, said the budget is hurting after cuts from the St. George incorporation, “and we'll feel the full brunt of those cuts next year." 

The city parish’s wallet is empty, and it is facing a 20 percent decrease in every department in the parish.

Council members say the city-parish is facing a $60 million deficit, but while some programs will face cuts and lay-offs, others like the library - which has its own separate tax approved by voters -  are untouchable without a vote from the public.

One speaker Wednesday night compared Baton Rouge to Madison, Wisconsin, which has a population of about 280,000 people. Madison’s library budget last year was about $20.7 million.

Meanwhile, Baton Rouge’s population is about 219,000, and last year the library’s budget was about $60 million.

Council member Darryl Hurst says the two places aren’t necessarily comparable.

"I don't know what the Madison system looks like,” Hurst said. “I don't know the household median income, I don't know the crime statistics."

Hurst says the solution isn’t to take the dedicated funds completely away from the library system.

“What are our bright and shining stars of city-parish, now become liabilities that we have to find other ways to fund and maintain," he said.