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Politics & Government

Sixteen More Years Of Library Funding Up To Voters

Board of Supervisors Says To Put On June Ballot

By unanimous vote, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution today that will place a measure to extend funding for public libraries in Solano County on the June 5, 2012 ballot.

The ballot measure will ask voters to continue for another 16 years the 1/8th of a penny library sales tax that they already pay, and which was first approved by voters overwhelmingly in 1998.  In 2010-2011, that funding provided $6.3 million for library operations in the County’s four library districts.

The measure approved by the Board includes an independent citizen’s oversight committee as a taxpayer protection to ensure funds are being spent as voters approved.

For Dixon Public Library, this library funding measure represents $500,000 or 55% of its operations budget. According to the Board’s resolution, “without it, the Library faces a steep reduction of hours, loss of librarians and other staff, reduced availability of computers and online resources and a sharp decrease in the purchase of library books and materials which will greatly impact the community.”

Jill Rubio, a mother of three who uses the Dixon Public Library regularly, finds this potential impact “horrifying.” “If this measure doesn’t pass, where will the kids go? We’ll have to use the library in Yolo County because our school libraries are in such bad shape. Dixon schools need the public library.”

Since 1997, prior to the library funding measure being approved, the Dixon Public Library has increased its hours from 27 to its current 50 hours per week, expanded its children’s programs from 31 to 100, and beefed up its book and materials budget from $30,000 to $82,000.  90,000 people visited the library last year, a 210% increase over 1997.  Other improvements include joining SNAP, the automation consortium of libraries in Napa and Solano counties, which dramatically improved access to books and other library materials for Dixon residents.

The other library districts that benefit from the sales tax are the Benicia Public Library, Vacaville School District Library District, and Solano County Library that serves Fairfield, Suisun City, Rio Vista and Vallejo. Solano County Library operates the Vacaville Library on a contractual basis.

For more information, contact Ann Cousineau, Chair of Keep Our Libraries Open at (707) 315-4721.

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