After three hours of public outcry, the Santa Clarita City Council this week voted 4-1 to take over the three libraries within city limits, withdrawing them from the Los Angeles County library system.

Members of the public attending the Tuesday-night meeting were largely dismayed at the council’s haste despite their protests, saying there were too many unanswered questions.

Mayor Laurene Weste said the council felt a sense or urgency to make the decision because it faces a Dec. 2 deadline to notify the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in order for city to take over the libraries on July 1, 2011. She said while that seems like a long time, there are a lot of decisions to be made between now and then.

“The sooner we can get started on it, the sooner the community can input everything they want to see,” Weste said. “There’s a lot of legwork.”

Weste, Councilman Frank Ferry, and councilwomen Marsha McLean and Laurie Ender voted in favor of taking over the libraries. Councilman Bob Kellar voted against.

City staff say that by taking over the three libraries, it will keep $400,000 in town that would otherwise go to overhead costs in the county system. The city plans to run the libraries more efficiently, too, with a contracted library management firm: Maryland-based Library Systems & Services LLC, or LSS. The city plans to use the extra cash to buy more books and keep each library open an extra 10 hours a week.

But the speakers had their doubts.

“‘The Music Man’ came to town,” frequent city critic Carole Lutness said, likening LSS to the unscrupulous traveling salesman in the popular musical.

Many of the speakers were concerned that their beloved librarians would be replaced with contracted workers with less experience and community knowledge. Residents young and old spoke, mostly saying that they liked their local libraries the way they are.

“The most important thing in a library is not the books, it’s not the videos, it’s not the magazines — it’s the human resources,” Canyon Country resident Marta Wiggins said. “With the county, you have dedicated professionals.”

Ferry said the council’s decision was “not an indictment of librarians in the Santa Clarita Valley.”

The council pledged to give local librarians a leg up in finding work with LSS or elsewhere.

“I was very confident that the information we received regarding the finances was really solid,” Councilwoman Laurie Ender said. “The public will be thrilled. I know there were people in the room that were not happy, but there are (278,000) people in the city and it’s my job to represent all of them.”

City staff will now work on its contract with LSS, which would run the three libraries.

The city has to decide what programs to offer, how to set fines and fees and whether to purchase the collections and furnishings currently in place at the three libraries. The process takes months, according to Moorpark and Calabasas city staff who have recently taken on library operations.