Eugene voters may experience déjà vu when they enter the voting booths in May.
Ballot Measure 20-58 will give voters another opportunity to decide on a library local option levy during the primary election, and if passed, it will increase property taxes — with the average household paying an additional $39 to $80 per year.
The Eugene City Council, under recommendations from the Mayor’s Library Improvement Committee, voted on Feb. 25 to place a renewed library levy on the May ballot. The renewal is a 48 percent increase from the original levy passed four years ago.
“The council’s vote was unanimous,” said Eugene financial director Sue Cutsogeorge.
The cost increase could pose a problem for voters. With a stagnant economy, Eugeneans might be hesitant to pass another levy. Eugene Public Library Services director Connie Bennett said the increase could hinder the measure’s success, but she expects strong public support.
“In this economic climate, the cost could be a factor,” Bennett said. “But I think we have worked hard to uphold the promise we made four years ago. I think people recognize that in the long run, $80 a year for an entire family is not that much for the services this levy will provide.”
Bennett said the committee gave great consideration to the current economic climate when it discussed the cost of new services and the effect on taxpayers. The committee wanted the levy renewal structured so it is affordable for taxpayers. As a result, the committee set a maximum levy amount so the cost to the average taxpayer household would average $80 per year.
The original library levy, which raised $2,190,000 per year for four years, passed with 64 percent of the vote in 1998. It expires on June 30, 2003. The Mayor’s Library Improvement Committee, established in October 1997 under the authorization of the council, proposed a tax levy as part of a development plan to improve library services and facilities.
Mayor Jim Torrey reactivated the library committee in October 2001. The committee was assigned to review progress toward its original recommendations, and members ound it necessary to increase funding to continue to provide services.
Jim Johnson, former Eugene city manager, said the new library will be a tremendous asset to the community.
“I can’t wait to see them cut the ribbon,” Johnson said. “I don’t think the citizens of Eugene fully understand what they are getting.”
The renewal levy, which will raise $4,900,000 per year –nearly twice the amount of the original levy — will include four full years of ongoing operating costs for all the added services.
“Some of the costs were underestimated when the committee proposed the levy,” Bennett said. “For example, the demand for library services at the time of the initial levy was significantly underestimated, and staff has been added.
“I can’t assume anything, but based on the history it should do very well,” she said. “The library and city have done exactly as promised. … It’s been a successful story so far, and I think it will continue.”