Library may go dark after December

Going, going … gone.

We’re now on the razor’s edge of losing our Valley library, and all library access throughout the county and city of Spokane.

The City Council continues to thwart the desire of citizens wishing to remain with the Spokane County Library District and pay equitably through assessed value the same price we’ve paid for decades. Insisting on paying by use, the council refuses to represent our interests, endangering our library.

In addition to contacting the council, we citizens have publicly advocated for contracting with the county library district at council meetings, the recent Conversation with the Community and meetings of the ad hoc committee, which voted unanimously for the district’s proposal. City staff also recommended the district.

The council tossed out the proposal and shockingly voted 6-1 to negotiate with the county library district on a use basis only. Councilman and ad hoc member Mike Flanigan cast the dissenting vote, saying, “I think the library district gave us a very fair offer.”

The city has the funds required by the library district in its budget.

Last week, the district’s board of trustees met to discuss options in light of the council’s intransigence.

District director Mike Wirt, sympathetic to the city’s financial woes, pointed out that paying by use (defined as registered library card holders) was impractical, as it can’t be feasibly determined. Whole families use one card and non-card holders use many materials and services, including children’s and adult programs. With statistical errors in determining usage, costs could possibly be higher than the district’s 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value rate.

In last year’s “one-time exception” contract, both the district and the city agreed to negotiate a long-term contract by Aug. 31, 2004. The district reluctantly agreed to this “by use” contract because time had run out, the city was still forming and it wanted to protect our library services. This was a grace period, not a template for future contracts.

The board agreed it was unfair to the rest of the district to give preferential treatment to Spokane Valley. We all share the same services, materials and benefits and should pay equally.

The council’s original deadline for the Request for Proposal in August allowed plenty of negotiation time. But the council delayed the deadline several times; it’s now too late to negotiate because the library district can’t count on the city signing a contract and therefore must begin the process of closing operations and giving staff notice.

Citizens, ad hoc members and board members said they felt betrayed, having believed the city was acting in good faith in choosing the district’s proposal.

With sincere regret, the board unanimously voted to offer the city a contract based on its proposal and to also begin closing operations procedures Dec. 1 in preparation for a Dec. 31 closure, should no contract be negotiated (see www.scld.lib.wa.us/ for details).

Fierce applause erupted from Valley citizens.

The district has behaved with integrity, responsibility and generosity, as they have throughout our long relationship.

The council, however, delayed the proposal deadline. It chose the library district, and then dumped the proposal and the ad hoc committee recommendation wasting costly months of labor. It again forced an unreasonable last-minute decision and caused library personnel and customers terrible stress. Such blatant disregard of citizen preference is arrogant and bizarre.

We now face losing our beloved library and staff we love, who may lose their jobs. The entire district will suffer.

The council refuses to explain its reasons, repeating only that “we want the most bang for their buck.”

This “High Noon” stance is shameful, hurting us all. I am utterly sickened at this obstinacy.

Aren’t you?

Tell your friends and raise a stink that won’t soon be forgotten. Contact Citizens to Save Spokane Valley Library at 362-0999 or SaveTheLibrary@yahoo.com.

If things proceed as is, we’ll have no library services at all after December. None. You can thank the council as you throw your library card away.

Valley library lights are flickering and may soon be quenched. A community without a good library is a community in darkness.