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Boulder County Commissioners Tuesday agreed to put a proposal to form a Boulder Public Library District on the November ballot, saying proponents met the legal requirements of gathering 100 valid signatures to put the issue to a vote.
Members of Boulder Library Champions told the commissioners they gathered 315 valid signatures in just two weeks. Jane Sykes Wilson and Joni Teeter added the library district would include Boulder and unincorporated portions of Boulder County and be funded by imposing a 3.5 mill levy tax on properties within the district boundaries.
The mill levy increase would generate $18.78 million annually. The funding would help restore services and personnel lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sykes Wilson said.
Gunbarrel would gain a branch library in the proposal. Niwot also was slated to get a branch library under the original district boundary.
But Niwot was dropped from the proposal to help bring down costs. Many Niwot residents also indicated they would prefer to continue to go to the Longmont library for services, County Commissioner Vice Chair Claire Levy said.
During a public hearing before the commissioner’s vote, Boulder Library volunteer Annareli Morales said the library should be expanded because it serves as a haven for many people who can’t afford internet access. “People with unreliable internet can get services at the library free of charge,” Morales said. “This is especially important for senior citizens on limited incomes.”
The library is also an important social cog for people isolated from the rest of society, Morales said. “We provide social interaction for people who are lonely, this might be the place where they speak to only one person for the entire day,” she said.
Chris Barge, executive director of the Boulder Library Foundation, said funding through property taxes would offer the financial stability the library needs to restore and keep its services.
“The goal here is stable funding,” Barge said.
Others said during the public hearing that they support libraries, but the current proposal is too costly and short-sighted.
Niwot resident Leonard Sitongia said the county should create its own county-wide district and include all its towns and cities. “I feel that we have already paid enough in taxes for a county-wide library,” Sitnongia said. “This ballot issue does not resolve this issue.”
Boulder resident Crystal Gray said libraries are the heart of every community. But a library district would be run by an unelected board of directors and property owners will be burdened by another tax increase if a district is formed, Gray said during the public hearing.
“People are already on a tight budget,” Gray said.
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