On January 5th, I will ask the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to refer a 3-year extension of the current 89 cent library property tax levy to the May ballot and to place the question of a permanent library district before voters in 2014.
While I strongly support a district, I believe this approach gives us the best opportunity to avoid devastating cuts to our libraries if a May ballot issue were to fail. We reached this conclusion after learning in November that a ballot rejection could cost up to 300 jobs and lead to the closure of most branches.
Continuing our current levy rate would relieve Multnomah County families who support the library but cannot now afford any tax increase. And it would help ensure all our neighborhood library branches remain open, with some reduced hours.
With so many residents struggling with job loss, stagnant wages and plummeting property values, voters have rejected recent property tax increases around the region. It is extremely uncertain that people would approve an increased property tax rate (district or levy) even for such a cherished service like the libraries. I strongly believe that asking the community to simply maintain their current tax rate for three years is the safest and most responsible path forward for the library.
Related Documents
Email to Library Employees, sent Dec 16, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Library Scenarios for FY 2012-13 if the May 2012 Funding Measure Fails -Prepared for the Board of County Commissioners, Nov 8, 2011
