During Tuesdays Oakley City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved placing a $93 Library Tax on the June 2016 ballot.
The council agreed to pay $40,000 to place this initiative on the ballot which will require a 2/3 voter approval to pass. The library bond would provide $12 million for the design, construction, furnishing as well as operation of the library. The tax would sunset in 30-years.
Here is a press released issued by the community advocates for the project:
New Library and Community Learning Center Committee Supports Oakley City Council Special Municipal Election for June Ballot Initiative
OAKLEY, (CA) – The New Oakley Library and Community Learning Center Committee endorses the decision by our City Council to place a library ballot Measure on the June 7, 2016 election. We encourage voters in Oakley to join us in voting Yes for the Measure so we can see a new Library and Community Learning Center built for all of Oakley. The project has had significant community input and is long overdue for our growing community. We are sharing a Vote Yes message with voters around Oakley and welcome your help reaching across our neighborhoods by volunteering at www.newoakleylibrary.org.
The ballot measure seeks citizen approval on the proposal to replace the small and outdated Oakley Library, which at 3,000 sqft is one of the smallest in the County, with a new Library and Community Learning Center in the downtown city center. The new Library and Community Learning Center will provide a range of expanded services to all residents, as well as include meetings rooms and additional technology equipment and WiFi services.
Craig Leighty, Oakley resident and the volunteer chair for the Committee, believes the public will positively respond to the ballot measure, as reflected in the survey undertaken in 2015.
“In 2015 a City of Oakley Task Force undertook a household survey of nearly 400 Oakley residents. The results showed 91% of residents believe a new library is a good investment for Oakley and 89% agree the library should be located downtown. With this kind of support and interest in a new library and community learning center, we believe this ballot initiative will pass with a 2/3rds majority in June.”
We believe that a new Library and Community Learning Center is the next step for the continued growth and livability in Oakley. This ballot measure is asking citizens if are they willing to make an investment in the prosperity of our city – for now and into the future. It is about providing more services to all residents and creating a community place in a central location close to downtown civic services, local businesses and public transport.
“A new Library and Community Learning Center is about the positive future direction of our City,” continues Mr. Leighty. “We recognize there is a lot going on in our community right now. But Oakley residents are smart people. We know they are able to have more than one discussion on important matters pertaining to the current needs and future growth of our City.” The Committee is encouraging a Yes vote in Oakley as we build a 21st Century community in Contra Costa County.
We are campaigning and fundraising to share information about the ballot measure and the benefits of the proposed New Oakley Library and Community Learning Center directly with voters. “The Committee is excited to report the first public donation has been received in support of a New Oakley Library and Community Learning Center and it is in the amount of $1,000.00.” To donate, volunteer or find out more about our work, go to www.newoakleylibrary.org.
9 comments
No way this passes. What a waste of $40k. Libraries are on the decline thanks to technology. People need to stop being so romantic about them and instead look at reality which shows libraries are dying. I am not going to support this.
Contrary to what a lot of people think, libraries have been changing and offering new services for the 21st century. It’s a good investment for our community.
Oakley forgot that the ECCFPD are going for a fire tax. Way to kill a service needed for a service wanted. Glad to see we will all be voting no on every tax measure.
Supporting both the ECCFD and a Library/Community Learning Ctr. is a good idea . . . it shouldn’t be one or the other.
Fantastic news. The community needs a library. It’s a disgrace that the community has been squatting at Freedom for years. Oakley is growing and the infrastructure needs to change. This looks like it could be a focal point for community involvement.
Not surprising to see so much support (91% surveyed). Most of the community is willing to invest in building the community, its why we have so much growth in east county despite paying higher property taxes. We’re building a community, not just residing in one.
Nothing wrong with the library being at the high school. In many places library’s have been housed in schools, even elementary schools. One of the prettiest is in Hawaii. All functional and all work.
The current library in Oakley does not adequately meet the needs of our residents. In 1999, Oakley’s Community Library moved to the Freedom High School campus, in what was supposed to be a temporary five-year arrangement. Seventeen years later, the Library is still there and is very limited in all regards. The library space is only 3,000 square feet. The collections, technology, space, parking, and visibility are all lacking at this location. Building a new library learning center which is a community gathering place, will meet the needs of our growing community and reflect a 21st Century city we aim to be.
I am wondering why we need a new library in this era of E-Everything… There is a wonderful Library now at Freedom, maybe it could use an upgrade, but I am more for the ECCFD getting a tax increase. Those are vital services, not a leasure item.
Great . . . Libraries can play a role in a growing community. And I’ve seen some studies that show that the return on investment is 3 to 6 times the investment and that it can also add some value to my property. So, $93 a year is something that I think I’ll be able to get back and having some public meeting rooms in our community would be a plus as well.
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