Servals and parrots and honey bears, oh my!
More than 100 kids and their parents packed Wilton Manors’ library to get up close and personal with some of the coolest creatures on Earth. Two people from Wild Animal World captivated kids and adults alike with one knowledge bomb after another.
It’s the library’s most popular event of the summer and one that brings families out for a fun afternoon. But beyond the walls, it’s a jungle out there. The library, like many of the city’s programs and institutions, is fighting for its piece of the financial pie and perhaps even its survival.
It’s budget season, a time to hunt like the mighty serval for excess spending. Like all municipalities in Florida, the city must have a balanced budget. The task is a true balancing act.
Some costs are almost or completely non-negotiable such as retirement contributions, servicing debt, water and sewage, and fire protection. Others are important but can be partially addressed or delayed like some infrastructure projects or replacing city vehicles.
Funding for some items can be increased, scaled back, or cut from the budget. For example, taking a scalpel to the parks department could end one specific program. Or the city could take a butcher knife and cut services entirely such as rideshare Circuit or the library.
Those cuts can sting like the scorpion at the animal exhibit.
Wilton Manors’ library is independent from the Broward County library system and some see that status as a bulwark against book bans and other attacks on programs by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A parent of three kids at the animal event said the library’s independence is one of the things that, like the city’s slogan says, makes life just better here.
“We come to the library a lot, at least once a week. It makes it unique in a different way and I like that they offer these small events.”
