Monday, October 25, 2010

Daily Herald Editorial Board Gives Thumbs Down to St. Charles Library Referenda

View of what voters must agree to fund

Link to October 25 Daily Herald editorial, "Timing is bad for library proposals".

Excerpt: Bond rates and construction costs are favorable, and it will almost certainly be more expensive to upgrade the library a couple years from now. However, a bigger, better structure means little if overall tax bills force residents to move from the library’s service area. Additionally, books are being digitized and, in the age of direct-to-DVR movies and online music sites, DVDs and CDs (available at the library) face an uncertain future. In two years, technologies will not regress.

The library’s heart is in the right place, its timing not so much. We encourage residents to vote “No” in the referendums. And we encourage the library to try again during better economic times and see if the extra space is still necessary
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This translates into a tax increase of $26.88 a year per $100,000 of a home’s market value.

Related article:
Houses demolished to make way for (hoped-for) library expansion.  (4/24/2010)

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