Aurora voters turned down a small property tax ballot question November 3rd by a margin of 55% to 45%. The measure would have created a dedicated taxing district within most of the City of Aurora to fund and improve its existing library services. Currently Aurora ranks last in books and materials spending per capita compared to other large Front Range library systems.Aurora spends about $2.60 per person.The next lowest is around $4, the average is $6 and some of the best funded library systems like Arapahoe Library District spend over $8.Without this measure, Aurora will close four of its seven libraries, cut funding 50% and rank even farther down at the bottom of funding indicators in 2010.

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This move by some Aurora voters has the attention of Arapahoe Library District (ALD) residents.ALD is an independent library district that serves most of unincorporated Arapahoe County including Centennial and a small part of Adams County in Dear Trail. The District levies a 4.8 mill property tax that ALD voters increased several years ago."It's clear the residents of ALD have the intelligence to recognize the value of good libraries for students and education, as a great deal for users and as one component of many other community services that keep property values high" says Marian O'Neil, an ALD resident. Aurora has several of the hardest hit zip codes for property devaluation.Some suggest that this is in part due to the markedly substandard quality of life services in Aurora.O'Neil says that Aurora residents pay as much as 40% lower property taxes than most other communities. "You get what you pay for." O'Neil, a retired corporate accounting vice president, goes on to say that Aurora has tried to fund everything on sales tax while other communities have similar sales tax plus library, fire, parks and recreation districts and metropolitan districts for streets and medians funded through property taxes. "What is very sad is the Aurora ballot measure would have only increased the city portion of Aurora property tax from 10 to 14.3 mills.The City's part of property taxes in Aurora is merely 9% of the total."

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What has the ire of ALD residents is the projected influx of hoards of Aurora residents seeking free library services at two nearby ALD facilities, Smoky Hill and the new May branch. According to staff interviewed at the ALD-Smoky Hill Library, as much as 60% of its use is from Aurora residents that don't pay anything to support the ALD library System.That is expected to sky rocket as two major Aurora locations in the immediate area shut down.

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O'Neil says that the average assessed value of homes in ALD is $400,000 and many are far higher."We are paying upwards of $100 to $300 a year into ALD so Aurora can free-load on our dollar!" O'Neil is encouraging residents of ALD to stand their ground and pressure their Board of Directors to take strong action to limit usage of ALD facilities by non-paying Aurora residents. "Our Board should remember that they have an historically supportive populace that has been generous with its tax dollars.Now it's time for ALD to take responsible, though unpleasant, steps to make the most effective use of the tax dollars for those who pay those tax dollars."O'Neil adds "even with high Aurora use at Smokey Hills in the past, Aurora was providing a reasonable effort to fund its libraries; however, the table has tipped too far to the point of egregious inequity that can no longer be tolerated."

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O'Neil is encouraging ALD home owner associations and individual residents to attend two up coming ALD Board of Directors meetings and indicate their concern and encourage bold action to limit Aurora resident use of ALD libraries.These meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, November 17th at 7:00 at the Koelbel branch at 5955 S. Holly Street on the southwest corner of Orchard and Holly.It is 1.5 miles west of the Orchard Road interchange off I-25. The December meeting is the 10th at 7 p.m at the ALD Support Services Administration Building at 12855 E. Adam Aircraft Circle on Broncos Parkway, across from the Arapahoe County Sheriff's department.From Arapahoe Road, go south on Potomac and then west on Broncos Parkway.The building will be on the left.Residents can also comment on this issue to the ALD Board through the ALD web site at www.arapahoelibraries.org.

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O'Neil says "our Board must send a strong message to Aurora residents now so they can clearly see the cause and effect here.""If they don't want libraries in their jurisdiction, well so be it, but they certainly aren't going to use ours for free anymore."