Article Contributed on: 8/21/2009 6:37:06 PM
NEW TAXATION TO FUND THE AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY: THE FACTS VS. FICTION
The Aurora Library system wants you to pay more taxes so that they won't have to share EXISTING General Fund tax revenues with other city agencies and services. Rather than be creative and suggesting ways of becoming more efficient and saving taxpayers dollars, they want MORE TAX REVENUE for their Exclusive use. They have even craftily worded their ballot issue, if passed, so that they can increase Your taxes annually to reflect inflation (salaries and employee benefits included) without having to again seek your permission. The ballot issue really should be whether the taxpayers are getting what they are ALREADY paying for in library expenses and whether the library should live within its means by adjusting to reality and economic conditions.
The Library presently receives some $5,500,000 from the General Fund and other sources. The Ballot issue as proposed seeks $12,514,000, more than double! That's a LOT of salaries, salary increases, and movie stock!
The trend nationwide is not to expand and open new library branches which require duplication of staffing and materials, but rather to consolidate. Instead of the existing and opening more branches, why not:
1. A larger expanded Central Library properly stocked and staffed with a larger research department additional computers, and offering expanded evening and weekend hours for public use?
2. While everyone talks of branch libraries, they are grossly underutilized. The argument that not everyone can easily get to the Central Library is shallow. To provide easy access to a Central library: Commence Utilization of one or more of the city's existing bus fleet of five-six vehicles to provide free circular bus transportation for library users to and from neighborhoods to the Central Library?
3. Expand present book deliver service presently offered to shut-ins to anyone that requests a book or movie. Convenient Drop-off locations could be established by working with grocery chains and/or school libraries. Users then would pick up their books and/or drop off at a designated grocery store. Library personnel would distribute and pick up at each location on a schedule. Book/movie requests could be either by phone or internet? Those that must visit the Central Library can drive or be transported by the city bus service.
4. Re-establish use of neighborhood bookmobile service?
These are but a few options to make the library system more relevant within the existing tax dollars available.
The Aurora Library is concerned that its hours of operation might be cut-back.According to the most recent Colorado Library Association Survey (2003) comparing Colorado libraries serving 100,000 or more users, Aurora ranked dead LAST in the percentage of open library hours for evening and weekend use.Sixty-eight percentof the budget is presently spent on library salaries. The same study ranked Aurora Last of use of library facilities per capita. On Circulation per Capita, Aurora ranked 11 th worst of 12 libraries surveyed. On Public Use-Programs per 1,000 residents, Aurora rated 151 per 1,000 vs Denver at 436 per 1,000.
Much is made by taxation proponents of the increased use of library computers by people searching for employment. It does not cost $12 million to provide free computers for public use. The State Unemployment and State Job Centers also have readily available computers for the unemployed.
NOW is not the time for additional taxation to fund the Library, Parks & Recreation, Cultural, or any other city service agency. We are already taxed out with no more to give. Just say "NO" to more taxes for separate funding for the Library. Tell the Library to be cut back where needed and use the resultant savings and resources for a larger and more efficient overall library system to better serve the needs of all Aurora's tax-paying citizens, the young, the elderly, and the disabled.
Lawrence R. Weygand
Aurora