A group effort: Employees' involvement will make a better library

Mount Olive is about to get a better library because of what was exactly the right decision by the Wayne County Commission's Facilities Committee.

Members Steve Keen and Wayne Aycock, under the leadership of committee Chairman Ray Mayo, made it a point Tuesday to make sure that the people who know what is needed in a library -- the director and her staff -- would be included in the planning for the new facility.

Now, that does not mean that the commissioners will not try to make the project as efficient and as cost-effective as possible.

They have already identified some areas that could be altered a bit -- without any loss in efficiency or design -- to save some money.

And that is exactly what needs to be done to make sure that the taxpayers get a first-class library without wasting any money.

No one should have carte blanche when it comes to other people's money -- and all those involved with the project seem very conscious of spending wisely, conservatively, but with a quality end product in mind.

Library director Donna Phillips can contribute a lot to this process -- letting those who are making the decisions know what is a "must-have" and what is an "only if there are funds available."

Scrimping to make unpredictable library budgets fit the needs of the community, Mrs. Phillips is already used to using money wisely and will be an asset to the planning process.

She also knows what library patrons use, what their interests are and what works best for this community.

And to their credit, the commissioners, especially Chairman Keen, seem to understand that.

Good for them.

This is the type of leadership we had hoped to see from the newly elected commissioners -- sound fiscal judgment and the humility and good sense to know when others can contribute positively to the discussion.

Reaching out to Mrs. Phillips -- and listening to what others have to contribute -- is the best way to make this project a success and to form a joint effort -- beyond party lines -- to do something good for this community.

And because they have made this teamwork a priority, Mount Olive is going to have the best library it can get -- and the taxpayers will be able to feel their money is being used wisely.

That is all that anyone could possibly ask.

Published in Editorials on July 24, 2013 11:12 AM