Friends of the Enoch Pratt Free Library rallied outside City Hall Monday evening in protest of a budget deal reached between Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the City Council.
The 45-year-old advocacy group said that the deal calls for $100,000 to be taken from the library’s budget, which the group said was already “woefully inadequate.”
In a press release, the Friends of the Enoch Pratt Free Library said it was “outrageous” that the City Council will be asked to approve a TIF for the Port Covington development project, which may include a new library.
“This is especially appalling given the fact that the Pratt library can not even meet minimum guidelines for replenishment of resources at its existing branches,” the press release said.
The budget bill also cuts some funding for after school programs.
After protests from the community, the mayor agreed to give $4.2 million back to after school programs.
Though the mayor says she's happy the council was able to come to a resolution, she's disappointed they didn't agree with her plan to give $40 to $60 million to create a recreation center for the kids and fund their programs.
The City Council threatened a government shutdown if the mayor didn't include money for youth programs in her budget plan.
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