(East District Council member, and First Hill representative, Jim Erickson has kindly allowed me to circulate these notes he circulated after the Library Bond presentation at the last East District Council meeting)
Recently, at the East District Council Meeting, I listened to Peter Steinbrueck and Chris Leman debate the issue of Seattle Proposition 1. In an era of reduced revenue, it has been necessary to cut library services. The Seattle Primary Election Ballot asks the voter to approve or disapprove Seattle Proposition 1 which would increase property taxes by about $52 per year for seven years starting in 2013. This library levy will deposit $17.3 million annually in The Library Fund that will address keeping libraries open for more hours, continuing to acquire books and materials, improving computer and online services and maintaining buildings. Oversight will be provided by a five-member citizen panel. Each year the Library must submit a plan to the Mayor and the Council.
I have attached copies of two double faced documents that were provided by Chris and Peter.
Chris Leman argued that the library has traditionally been part of the Mayor’s budget submittal and removing the Library from the general budget will create a short sighted precedent. When this proposed tariff ends in 2019 there will be no space in the general budget and the voters will be forced to renew the tariff. The Library Levy supplements the General Fund for this important public service using a separate tax base for seven years, but as Chris points out – there is no coming back.
Peter Steinbrueck argued that under the restraint of the recession, combined with the Eyman tax cut initiatives, the libraries have already experienced severe cuts in services and without the approval of Seattle Proposition 1, further cuts will cause painful reductions in service.
Please encourage your friends and neighbors to prepare to vote on Proposition 1.
Voter’s Guide: http://www2.seattle.gov/ethics/votersguide.asp?e=20120807&p=02_01
Chris Leman: [email protected]
Peter Steinbrueck: [email protected]
Post Script – The subject of the Library Levy was squeezed into a busy agenda and it really deserved more attention. I thank Chris Leman and Peter Steinbrueck for volunteering to take sides in a discussion that ended too soon. In the room, a few comments centered on how the boxes called Library are timely and relevant in our individual lives. I talked about a Bookmobile that my neighbors enjoy. Kristin O’Donnell said that it is all right if the Library is a comfortable place for street people to rest, as long as they behave. A young man asked – In this digital age when bookstores are closing and books can be transmitted over the internet, do these library plans consider the advantages of technical innovations?
In reflection, I think it is not about what goes on in the box, but, instead it is about who pays the bill. In effect, Chris argues that our elected leaders are responsible to make choices on how we should learn to live within our means. While Peter argues that if Property Owners foot the bill, we can have more generous library privileges. The Library Levy permanently shifts this important public service to a separate source of revenue and as Chris points out – there is no coming back.
(and later)
When Chris Leman and Peter Steinbrueck recently discussed the Library Levy in the East District Council meeting, several people raised questions about the future of Seattle Libraries. In my outmoded thinking I had a mental picture of my early years when I learned to use the Dewey Decimal System and manually fingered through drawers of index cards. Kristin O’Donnell referred to a social space where people could come in and get out of the rain. And a young man asked if the seven year budget forecasts considered the digital revolution where book stores are closing and the printed word does not need paper.
Thanks to Chris Givens, I want to share with you the first nine minutes of a TED video, that describes how coming in out of the rain; book stacks arranged in Dewey order; and the digital revolution were all factors in the design of Seattle’s world famous Central Library.
“Architect Joshua Prince-Ramus takes the audience on dazzling, dizzying virtual tours of three recent projects: the Central Library in Seattle, the Museum Plaza in Louisville and the Charles Wyly Theater in Dallas.”
http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_prince_ramus_on_seattle_s_library.html
Please encourage your friends and neighbors to prepare to vote on Proposition 1.
Voter’s Guide: http://www2.seattle.gov/ethics/votersguide.asp?e=20120807&p=02_01
Jim Erickson
