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Residents of Longmont should vote “No” on Ballot Issues 3C and 3D. Though the prospect of the proposed library branch (3C) and an Arts and Entertainment venue (3D) sound inviting, upon closer inspection, the means by which these projects are funded are not a sound investment for the community.
There’s little doubt that a new library branch is needed in Longmont. The current main branch is over capacity and there’s been enough population growth to justify another facility in a different area of the city. However, instead of funding by a mill levy, it would be in the city’s long-term interest to establish a library district with its own levy authority. An independent district would create a dependable, sustainable revenue stream to further spread out the costs of a new facility and ensure there’s funding for future facility and program expansions that would not require city council approvals. For this reason, Longmont should vote NO on 3C and force the city to look for alternative models.
I love arts and entertainment as much as the next person and I would love to see something done with the sugar mill location. The idea of the city only starting the levy once private funding goals have been is also an attractive public-private partnership that deserves support. However, there are so many structural, environmental, and zoning issues with the sugar mill, my concern is that even if private funding is met, it will be many, many years before any of us see actual results at that site. A better approach would be to chunk the site into smaller pieces for redevelopment, gets those off the ground and let us all see the issues at hand before asking the city’s taxpayers to make such a large investment with so many unknowable factors. For this reason, Longmont should vote NO on 3D and force the city to rethink the approach on the sugar mill.
None of the above is intended to disparage or dismiss all the hard work spent by developers, city staff, and countless others to even get these proposals on the ballot. Nonetheless, these proposals do not seem to be a slam dunk and the city has more homework to do before asking for such big asks from city residents.
