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But all speakers had the same request of the board: Ensure the excess levy passes in November.

While the board members did not speak specifically on the levy themselves, both the Cabell County Public Library and Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District directors, Breana Bowen and Kathy McKenna, respectively, spoke during delegations.

Bowen told the board she wants to continue to work together to find a solution the people of Cabell County will vote for. She reiterated points she made at a previous library meeting, that the library cannot sustain itself without the funding from the excess levy and branches would close.

But she also noted, since the entities are dealing with public funds, the struggle is no longer about the parks, libraries or the schools �����Ƶ� it�����Ƶ�s about the voters.

�����Ƶ�The fact of the matter is �����Ƶ� it�����Ƶ�s not about what I want or what the library wants or what the library board wants. It�����Ƶ�s not about the park and what the park wants. The same thing could be said about your agency,�����Ƶ� Bowen said. �����Ƶ�We are dealing with public funds, and the public, for a long time, has been enraged.�����Ƶ�

Bowen agreed with a point Marc Williams, an attorney representing the parks and libraries wrote to Superintendent Ryan Saxe upon his request before the board meeting on May 28: The only excess levy the voters will pass is one that includes the amounts for the parks and libraries, plus equalization checks, previously listed in the 2018 excess levy call.

The 2018 excess levy call included more than $455,000 to the parks and over $1.4 million for the libraries, including equalization checks to be paid out when additional tax revenues were collected from assessed property values.

Still, she said she would continue working to find alternative funding for the libraries.

�����Ƶ�I will work tirelessly to see that that can happen,�����Ƶ� Bowen said. �����Ƶ�I don�����Ƶ�t want the school system, I don�����Ƶ�t want the teachers to suffer, I don�����Ƶ�t want our community to suffer.�����Ƶ�

McKenna also urged the board to hear voters. Otherwise the excess levy would fail, leaving a large funding gap for all three entities of over $30 million in total.

Williams told the board he feels it is a mistake to not include the newly elected board members, Linda Childers and Reed Byers, who would be sworn in on July 1, in discussions about the excess levy.

Both Childers and Byers spoke, echoing the plea of the rest of the attendees who spoke that the levy needs to pass, even if that means giving more money to the parks and libraries than what was originally listed in the excess levy call, which failed during the May 14 primary election.

Anna Chenoweth, a resident who has spoken at several meetings told the board plainly there is no �����Ƶ�compromise�����Ƶ� voters will agree with regarding excess levy funding.

�����Ƶ�This isn�����Ƶ�t your money. This is our money,�����Ƶ� Chenoweth said. �����Ƶ�I came before you saying how willing we are to make this work because this is our money. We want it to work. But, however, I think it�����Ƶ�s really important as we talk about working together that the community is not the library board. The community is not the park board. And the voters like me have made it very clear that, for us �����Ƶ� there�����Ƶ�s not a lot of compromise to be made here.�����Ƶ�

The board rescheduled its next regular meeting for 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at the Board Meeting Office.