A tax increase for new libraries in SLO County? ‘We’ve done as much Band-Aid as we can’
Saying that San Luis Obispo County has outgrown its libraries, the county is considering asking voters for a countywide parcel tax to pay for new buildings and repairs.
Funds raised from the tax would go toward opening a library branch in Templeton and either new buildings or major renovations for other branches in Arroyo Grande, Los Osos, Oceano, San Miguel, and Santa Margarita.
The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to launch a feasibility study to evaluate whether to place the new tax on the November 2020 ballot.
If approved, homeowners would likely pay on average about $12 a year, the cost of “a cheap bottle of wine,” according to library director Christopher Barnickel.
Details are not final. However, Barnickel told The Tribune that a new parcel tax would likely amount to $3 per $100,000 assessed value to pay for a bond totaling around $30 million.
That’s the amount he says the system needs to improve the six branches that need the most work.
San Luis Obispo County currently has 14 library branches and an $11 million budget. A branch in California Valley recently closed.
Otherwise, business is booming.
Libraries offer much more than books, including free wi-fi, computer access, digital downloads and free online classes from creative writing to coding and business management. Check-out options include laptops, mobile hotspots, and even sewing machines.
Some branches regularly host a mobile shower service, while Los Osos has reserved three parking spots for homeless residents to park vehicles in overnight.
More than 3 million items were checked out from the county library system in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. That same year, the countywide library system saw 1 million visits, according to an annual report.
Meanwhile, Templeton still does not have a library, despite years of work toward that goal. Barnickel said other branches are in need of expansion.
At the old building that houses the Santa Margarita branch, “we’ve done as much Band-Aid as we can,” while the portable building in Oceano has “run its shelf life,” Barnickel said. He said community demand has outgrown the library spaces in Los Osos and Arroyo Grande.
Capital projects within the library system require a 50/50 match of community funds, which effectively caps capital costs to $4 million, according to a department report to the Board of Supervisors. Funds traditionally come from public facility fees, and the library yields about $250,000 a year.
Whether voters will support a tax is the question. They shot down a quarter-cent sales tax to bolster library budgets in 2004.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 5:05 AM.
