Try, Try Again for Fair Library FundingThis session there have been two bills introduced that would provide a fair distribution of library funds to cities and towns throughout Maricopa County. Unfortunately, neither of the bills did received a hearing. On Monday, SB 1010 is on the agenda in the House Ways and Means Committee.
The City of Phoenix requests your SUPPORT of the SB 1010 "strike-everything" amendment.
In 1986, the Legislature passed a law allowing creation of library districts with the power to levy property taxes to pay for libraries and library service. One year later, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors formed the Maricopa County Library District (MCLD). In the 1980s Maricopa County was mostly unincorporated but has evolved to be very urbanized today. Many cities and towns in Maricopa County provide their own libraries and library services, but state law provides that taxes collected by library districts cannot be passed to cities and towns. The result is that city residents in Maricopa County pay the library tax but city libraries cannot directly use any of those revenues.
The SB 1010 strike everything amendment will allow a city or town to receive at least 60% of the library taxes its residents pay to the MCLD for that city or town to use for library purposes. The library district would keep 40% of the library tax collected in the County to use for district purposes and would continue to fund unincorporated areas of the county and communities with populations of 50,000 and less. These changes would not be effective until fiscal year 2012-2013, giving the district plenty of time to prepare.
In the early 1990s, library directors and librarians throughout Maricopa County worked together to develop a regional master plan that would coordinate county and city library service. In recent years, coordination with MCLD has been stymied by the 1986 legislative limitations. In October 2009, the library stakeholders group proposed that the MCLD “annually return 50% of tax revenue received through assessment of incorporated cities back to the cities through a reciprocal borrower reimbursement program” to be phased in over a period of up to 10 years. MCLD rejected the proposal. The SB 1010 strike everything amendment removes the state law barrier to true coordination of library service and fair taxation of city residents.
FACTS
In 2008, Phoenix residents paid $6.7 million in property taxes into the MCLD. In that same year, Phoenix received about $600,000 (less than 10% of contributions) in services or revenues from the MCLD: $435,189 in reciprocal borrowing revenue and $165,000 in online database support.
Phoenix residents’ contributions are approximately 32% of total revenues collected in Maricopa County through library district taxes. In the past 12 years, Phoenix residents have contributed more than $50 million to the MCLD.
Currently, the Phoenix Public Library services a residential population of more than 1.5 million. The service population of unincorporated Maricopa County is less than 250,000.
Last year, Phoenix cut its library hours by 30%. This year, Phoenix has enacted additional library service cuts including closing every library except Burton Barr Library once a week.
Source: P.L.A.N.
1 comment:
We want to ensure that residents get a clearer picture of the resources the Maricopa County Library District provides.
THE CORRECT FACTS
• The Maricopa County Library District operated the George L. Campbell Branch Library on 32nd Street in Phoenix serving Phoenix residents since February 23, 1991 at a cost over $36.6 million dollars.
• The Library District, over the same period of time, has paid a total of 3.4 million dollars in Reciprocal Borrowing funds to the City of Phoenix.
• The Library District has spent, since 2007, over 3.5 million dollars for electronic databases that are available to the City of Phoenix residents.
• The Library District has spent an estimated $100,000 over the same period for delivery service to Phoenix so folks could return materials to any library and the District ensured the materials were returned to the owning library.
• The proposed amendment would ONLY apply to Maricopa County, it would NOT apply to Pima County.
• The proposed amendment also would drastically change the purpose of the Maricopa County Library District from serving the interests of all county residents, to limit the District to only serving the unincorporated areas. The MCLD would be the only Library District with this limitation.
• In the past, the Library District offered to give to the City of Phoenix the Campbell Branch Library building and contents and to help financially for a transition to City operation. The City turned down the offer.
• The Library District has a standing offer to convert any public library in the county to the Polaris Integrated Library System and for the Library District to pay the on-going maintenance costs. The City of Phoenix spent over $2 million and purchased it on its own and is spending close to $200,000 per year in annual maintenance.
• The Library District has converted six public libraries to Polaris (including Mesa) and will covert Glendale and Chandler next fiscal year.
• The total service area of the Library District is actually 747,758 population which includes the unincorporated area (253,846), and the cities and towns who partner with the District for the District to operate their libraries. In some cases, with the city or town reimbursing the District for all operating costs.
SUMMARY OF LIBRARY DISTRICT EXPENDITURES TO SERVE PHOENIX RESIDENTS OVER THE PAST 12 YEARS
Campbell Branch $36.6 million
Reciprocal Borrowing Program 3.4 million
Electronic Databases 3.5 million
Delivery Service 100,000
Total $43,600,000
• This does not include payments to other public libraries that were used by the City of Phoenix residents.
If you have questions or desire additional clarifications, please feel free to contact me harrycourtright@mcldaz.org or call me at (602) 652-3030.
Harry Courtright
Director & County Librarian
Maricopa County Library District
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