Whatcom County Libraries Seek Levy Restoration

Joan Airoldi has been the director of the Whatcom County Library System for seven years. She is an avid and eager listener to county residents’ library service needs and comments.

Curiosity is a terrific trait — if you’re reading this, you have it. Whatcom County Library System’s vision statement includes the word curiosity — it is the desire to learn or know.

Use of libraries in Whatcom County is growing in all of our local communities — more than 40 percent in the past six years, evidence that libraries provide a singular and valuable service in all economic times for all ages and all interests.

It is a fact that Whatcom County Library has a levy lid lift measure, Proposition 1, on the November 3 ballot for county voters outside the Bellingham city limits. To provide background, here is a brief history of Washington State county library financing:

Library funding has always been and continues to be a nonpartisan issue in our democracy. In 1938, more than 80 years ago, the state legislature set the levy rate for public libraries at 50 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. That hasn’t changed, but limits have been added.

In 1972, a 6 percent increase limitation was enacted for all state taxing districts, including libraries. From then on, levy rates fell as property values went up.

In 1997, a second limitation was added for all taxing districts, including libraries, called the Implicit Price Deflator, which could be exceeded up to the 6 percent by a supermajority vote of the library board.

In 2001, the statewide initiative 747 limited increases to 1 percent unless local voters approved a levy lid lift.

At this point, the levy for the Whatcom County Library System (which does not include the Bellingham Public Library) is at 33.8 cents per $1,000 dollars of assessed value. Factoring in the population growth of Whatcom County, the increasing use of the libraries by residents, decreases already made to the library budget, and the continuing increase in costs to provide library service, the remedy is to ask local taxpayers to consider restoring the levy.

This was the decision that the library’s board of trustees (nonpartisan and volunteer) made at their open public meeting in June.

As the levy rates fall over time, asking voters to restore the levy is the option provided under current law to sustain library services, including support for community building programs, early childhood education, research and reference assistance.

Whatcom County Library Board (WCLB), staff and volunteers pride themselves on involving residents and communities as services and programs are continually planned, monitored, and evaluated. WCLS has shown the flexibility and initiative needed to change with the times, as well as provide the specific library services that Whatcom County residents support.

One important aspect of planning is the ongoing cooperative relationship with the Bellingham Public Library (BPL). Both libraries take great pride in the innovative, efficient, and seamless manner that services to all residents of Whatcom County are planned and provided. Studying practices and policies and finding ways to ensure ongoing improvement in that relationship makes sense. To do otherwise is to neglect the responsibility to serve the taxpayer and provide the best library service for every library tax dollar spent.

Library users, city or county, have all of the resources of both libraries available easily and efficiently. This level of cooperation between a city and county library system is unique in Washington state. Current examples of how WCLS and BPL cooperate include our shared electronic catalog, our shared collection, shared delivery of books between the library systems, and shared information technology work including vendor services, networking, data-center space and internet access, software/hardware purchasing cooperation (servers, networking equipment, internet bandwidth, etc.) as well as help desk and basic computer support.

Other WCLS planning includes working with local communities on library buildings. Cities or other local groups or districts own library buildings, and there is an ongoing relationship between WCLS and the building owners. WCLS provides all operating funding: the staffing, materials, information technology infrastructure, and monthly utilities costs. Building owners are responsible for building upgrades and ensuring that the library building is meeting the needs of the population served.

The means of satisfying our curiosity and information needs are changing and libraries must change as well. Ongoing learning, trying new technologies, and finding easier ways to access and share information are imperative to continue providing excellent and cost-effective library service.

In the end, the decision to increase the levy for the library by 10.2 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value will be made by the taxpayers of Whatcom County.

Visit wcls.org, the Whatcom County Library System Web site for more information on the levy lid lift and the library budget. Ask questions, be curious. For further information, contact Joan Airoldi at 360-384-3150 extension 201.

I know of no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take if from them, but to inform their discretion by education.