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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Bid to lift Sno-Isle Libraries levy rate passing By Eric Stevick, Herald Writer If Tuesday night election results hold up, Sno-Isle Libraries should be able to avoid reducing hours next year. Sno-Isle Libraries Prop. 1, which would increase the library district's levy rate by 9 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, was narrowly leading in the all-mail ballot. It needs 50 percent plus one vote to pass. If the ballot proposal passes, the tax rate for the libraries would jump from 31 cents to 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Sno-Isle includes 21 libraries and 491 full- and part-time workers. It has a $38 million budget, including reserves, and checked out 8.4 million items in 2008. The owner of a $300,000 home would pay an extra $27 a year under the ballot proposal, which requires a simple majority to pass. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Money Poorly Spent If this passes, it's tantamount to flushing taxpayer dollars straight down the crapper. I recently tried to donate a brand new multi-media language learning program to the Sno-Isle Library system. It's considered to be top-of-the-line for this language. It contains four CD's and a textbook. The library just recently got rid of its sole multi-media item for this language because it was so old that the cassette tapes were broken, so this would have been a worthy addition. This item retails for $50, which would equate to several years' worth of new levy dollars for me. Do you know what they told me? They turned down the offer because apparently it's simply too much hassle for them to create a new record in their database for this item. If they already owned it, they'd be happy to take the item onto the shelves because that means they wouldn't have to go to the earth-shatteringly difficult hassle of creating a new card for the catalog. You can't make this stuff up. They gave me a "talk to the hand" at my offer of a free, brand-new, shrink-wrapped package that would fill a gap on the shelves, because they can't be bothered to create a record. If this is any indicator of how the library system acts when presented with a gift-horse, can you imagine how they'll be spending all this new money -- which you will have no choice but to fork over? I only wish the Herald had publicized my experience before vote-time, but regrettably they elected not to publish my letter to the editor regarding this matter. Jacques Klahaya | Nov 4, 2009 12:14 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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