Oakley May Place $93 Parcel Tax on June Ballot to Fund New Downtown Library

On Tuesday, the Oakley City Council will start the process to decide if a brand new downtown library is in the future for the City of Oakley. If the idea moves forward, a library tax will appear on the June 2016 ballot.

A group of residents, whom have been researching and speaking to residents about the feasibility of a downtown library, will present their nearly year-long study to the council.

The group of residents evaluated community support and are proposing a parcel tax which would allow for both the construction and operation of a 20,000 square feet library and learning center at a cost of $12 million to design, construct, and furnish. The parcel tax needed is $7.75 per month ($93 annually) within the City of Oakley.

If the council approves the recommendation, which City Staff are recommending they do, the proposal would go before voters in the June 7 Primary Election at a cost of about $40,000—the City’s participation in the educational outreach materials and efforts related to the ballot measure could cost up to $10,000.

The group’s proposal comes after more than 100 face-to-face conversations and a survey (380 surveys).

The survey highlighted:

• 89% of surveyed residents believe there is a need for a new Library & Learning Center
• 91% of users and non-users think a new library is a good investment for Oakley
• 89% of those surveyed agree the Library should be in the Downtown area
• The desired services at a new library included:
• Availability of computers and Wi-Fi
• Small group/meeting rooms
• Community meeting areas
• Dedicated teens and children’s areas
• Local art displays
• Tech center/computer labs

According to the staff report, the current library has been located at Freedom High School since 1999 and is just 3,000 square feet with limited space and options for use—such as collection, technology, space, parking and visibility.

The group argues the current library is inadequate by stating its size is too small and has not kept up with the pace of growth in the community while stating it causes challenges for Freedom High School and the students.

Issues include:

• There are no community meeting room
• There is only one single outlet for people to plug in laptops, I-pads, etc.
• The shelf space is already exhausted, meaning less books and movies (limiting the collection, but also the opportunity to accept even newer “floating” items shared across all libraries)
• Any family programming (which is highly requested) is limited to afterschool
  hours
• There are no quiet study/work spaces
• The parking is inadequate

The feasibility group also noted that multiple sties were looked at around Oaley but noted that a 2013 Town Hall meeting conducted by the Contra Costa Library System had the desire for a stand alone library in the downtown area which was emphasized by local residents.

If the council approves the proposal Tuesday night, staff will begin to prepare all the necessary documents to place a Ballot Measure for voter consideration on the June 7, 2016 Ballot.

If you go:
Oakley City Council Meeting
3231 Main Street, Oakley
6:30 pm