In tough economic times we adjust our spending habits in order to get more bang for our buck. Douglas County Libraries' ballot issue 5A is an excellent way to spend a small amount of money while getting a great return.

As a 10-year patron of Douglas County Libraries, I find the value of what I get from my tax dollars to be unmatched. Thanks to an excellent page on the DCL website, I was able to figure the return on my family's investment in the library system. We borrow about 15 books and two videos per month, check databases, and ask reference questions. My husband frequently uses the interlibrary loan program as well. For every dollar of our tax money invested in the library, we receive $58.45 worth of value each month. It's difficult to argue with that kind of return on my investment, particularly when the 5A is only asking for $48 more from me per year.

Among other things, 5A will build new libraries in Lone Tree and Parker, which are bursting at the seams now as they try to serve far more people than they were built to handle. DCL will rent a storefront for a library in Castle Pines. Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock libraries will also make renovations. The land for the Lone Tree and Parker libraries will be donated by the developers if this issue passes. Forty percent of the one-mill levy will be retired when the library construction is completed.

I have lived in communities where financial cut-backs have resulted in cutting library hours and services. While no one thinks it will affect them very much, in the end it is devastating and very difficult for the libraries to recover from. My hometown library in California was expanded just last year, 30 years after Proposition 13 cut property taxes to such an extent the town was unable to build another library, let alone keep the existing one open every day. One ballot initiative has had unintended repercussions on that library for more than a generation, and this is for a town with virtually no increase in population.

Libraries are part of the soul of a community. They aren't just about checking out books, magazines and videos; they are a gathering place, a source for information, and an expected constant in the community. They aren't something we should let slide for a while and hope to pull back up later on. A very small investment will result in many times the return, and there will be no disruption in services.

I urge Douglas County residents to vote YES on 5A November 4.

Kay Romer

Highlands Ranch