If voters don’t approve a levy lid lift benefitting the King County Library System (KCLS), a spokesperson said the system could be looking at “across the board” operating cuts of 10 to 15 percent in 2011.
Community relations and marketing director for the library, Julie Brand said the cuts would limit dollars spent on new books, technology and building maintenance. She added library hours of operation and staffing could be sliced in coming years.
The levy lift supporting the library system is listed as Proposition 1 on ballots for the current special election. In order for their votes to be counted, residents participating in the all-mail election must have their votes postmarked by Feb. 9.
What KCLS seeks is an increase in the property tax levy rate benefitting the system, moving that rate to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Brand said for a home valued at $400,000, that amounts to about $200 annually, up from about $168 annually.
Brand contends the need for the levy springs almost directly from voter passage of Initiative 747 in 2001. I-747 established a 1-percent limit on annual levy growth. Brand said library officials quickly recognized that because of that limitation, they would need to go back to voters occasionally.
“It’s become part of what we have to do,” she said.
In the past, library officials have stated, limited by I-747, revenue growth has not kept pace with inflation and rising operating costs driven up partly by a 43-percent increase in library usage.
Voters last approved a lid lift for the library system in 2002. Brand contends library leaders have stretched the resulting dollars as far as possible.
Proposition 1 has drawn opposition from Kirkland resident Will Knedlik, an outspoken critic of the library system who Brand said regularly has opposed library issues. Knedlik particularly objects to what he characterized as a misleading mailer sent out by KCLS.
In part, the mailer states that “KCLS now needs to ask voters to restore the library levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to be collected in 2011.” Knedlik say the language implies a temporary tax hike with no additional increases in subsequent years.
“When you tell voters they’re voting for an increase for one year and it’s in fact multiple years, you have a bait-and-switch tactic,” he said. “I’m not acquainted with any agency in government that has told this type of bold-faced lie.”
In the past, a library spokesperson said the language was approved by an attorney for KCLS. Brand argued that in all likelihood, future collection rates will go down. Essentially, she said that considering the limits imposed by I-747, if property rates increase by more than 1 percent, then levy collection rates drop. Brand further said property values have historically increased every year except this year.
KCLS has been formally criticized for its campaign behavior in the past. In 2005, the state Public Disclosure Commission determined that the organization had used, in alleged violation of state law, $124,000 in library resources to promote a 2004 capital bond measure.
If Proposition 1 fails to gain approval, Brand said it was “highly unlikely” the district would run the same issue on some future ballot. Like other entities such as school districts, KCLS must help pay for the cost of running elections. Brand estimated that price tag is about $1 million every time the library issue goes before voters.
