Help the Friends of the Libraries in PG County

FYI. Please read below. If you can not attend, please send the County Executive an email (his email address is below). Please pass this along. We need your help.  We received a last-minute notice of the County Executive's budget hearing this Wed., Feb. 6, 2013, 7 p.m. at Friendly High School, and we are asking for attendees in support of funding of public libraries. Friends Pres. Ken Bryson will speak for the Accokeek Friends.  Only one person can speak for a group, but it is very impressive if a large group shows up for a cause. (County Executive Rushern Baker commented at last year's hearing that he indeed heard us.) Please come wearing a Friend of the Accokeek Library T-shirt, available free from our library.   Alternately, or in addition to coming, it is very helpful to send a message to the County Executive  (countyexecutive@co.pg.md.us ) to increase library funding in his proposed budget.  Even a one-sentence email is powerful! This is why help is needed: the library system has been instructed by the county to come up with a proposed budget for the coming fiscal year that will cut about 15% ($2.5 million) from their budget.  The county says this should be accomplished by laying off staff.  The library administration has responded in meetings with the county staff and Rushern Baker that this amount of staff cutting would necessitate closing one or more library branches.  It will help as it did last year if Friends from all branches show up and insist that NO library branches should close and that the system should not have to endure a 15% cut.  According to the library administration, currently the county contributes only $19.85 per capita to the library annually.  Thank you for any help you can give with this.