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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Top Galleries: January 20, 2007 The ABCs of library funding Simply put, closing our library is unacceptable. But expensive taxation is rarely a good long-term solution. We believe there is another alterative. It starts by recalling the city's history. Ashland's library has been open since 1912 (earlier recollections can be traced back to the 1870s). In the early days, about 100 residents gave a dollar a year to pump life into the shelves. The city has always valued the library's place in the community and figured out a way to pay for it. Until now. Now, the state-of-the-art library constructed just a few years ago is no longer affordable to this community. While we value our library, we also must value what we as a community can afford. While maybe we all want to drive a Hummer, it seems far more practical and affordable to drive a Subaru. Our current library is a large, dynamic structure at the south end of our downtown. It plays a prominent role in the overall vitality of of the city. But in light of the real possibility that it will either be closed in the coming months, or that every homeowner will pay a fee of nearly $25 a month, the library bears more resemblance to the costs of a Hummer than a Subaru. Here's what we propose: First, we believe the library must return to the size and scope of its pre-renovation days. We could afford the library then, we should be able to afford a smaller library again. A wing of the library should be renovated so it can be leased for office space, generating badly needed revenue for library operation. We have no idea how much of the building can be sliced off, what the costs of the renovation will entail, and how much money it will generate. But we know that these figures can be discovered and the net result will be a less expensive library that now has an income stream to further defray the burden to local taxpayers. Second, the time for the library to institute a user fee has clearly come. A nominal usage fee allows the library to again earn badly needed operational revenue fairly from the people who use it most. A flat charge for library cards will bring steady income. We charge for access to national parks, most museums and even the YMCA. If you think about it, we even charge for our children to attend school, through taxes, fundraisers, student fees and other forms of school revenue generation. This is not meant as a barrier to the poor. We are certain a hardship discount plan could be effectively installed. For example, the local YMCA, one of the most successful in the nation, charges a membership fee, but also raises hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for youth scholarship. In short, the financial barrier can be overcome, while still generating operational revenue. Finally some basic math can be applied. A plus B, subtracted from C, leaves D. In this case, lease revenue (A), plus user fees (B) subtracted from the annual operational budget (C), leaves the amount of property or income tax (D) that Ashland residents should be taxed. Whatever "D" is — we don't claim to have the expertise to figure out these numbers, but are confident the city and/or a group of determined volunteers can — is a number far less than the current level of taxation proposed by the city council. The case that the city has a basic responsibility to keep its library open is more effectively made when coupled with these other steps of basic responsibility. We believe more taxpayers will agree to pay a smaller tax in light of users paying more and the city showing fiscal responsibility by reducing the size and expenses related to operating the library. We believe all three aspects of generating this needed revenue are more likely to gather a critical mass of support, creating a long-lasting solution that will in the future be a source of pride, not frustration, among the city's residents. Current Comments: You write "First, we believe the library must return to the size and scope of its pre-renovation days. We could afford the library then, we should be able to afford a smaller library again. A wing of the library should be renovated so it can be leased for office space, generating badly needed revenue for library operation." Yeah! And I think we ought to outlaw CARS too and take everything back to the good old days. ('Scuse me, gotta get the sand out of ears and nose). enough - ashland, or - January 22nd, 12:25 PM Visit the library page at jcls.org and click on more information. One of the questions they address is user fees: According to Jim Scheppke, Oregon State Librarian, �charging a resident of Jackson County a fee for a library card would not be permissible under ORS 357.400. Any public library that did so would cease to be a public library under Oregon law. The unit of local government operating such a library would not be authorized to fund the operations of the library. Such a library would also cease to qualify for grants and other support from the State and Federal governments.� Ne young - Ashland, OR - January 22nd, 7:16 PM Gee, maybe the Tiding's could have did what any Journalism 101 student would have done and actually CHECK THE FACTS before further muddying an already confused debate? Is that too much to ask for from people who claim to be professional journalists? Irked - Ashland - January 24th, 8:26 AM The law has been on the books since 1901. Probably time to update that one to be a bit more realistic. notimeforcutenames - ashland,or - January 30th, 7:11 AM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Payday Loans Free Ringtones Debt Consolidation Water Filter Security Systems Debt Relief Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us