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The Spokane County Library District board of trustees met at the Spokane Valley Library on Tuesday, a week after suffering a pair of ballot defeats that would have set the wheels in motion on the construction of two new libraries and expansion of another branch.
For trustee Frank Payne, the gathering was more like a halftime pep talk.
After SCLD Executive Director Mike Wirt provided an overview of the March 11 vote, Payne was the first to speak out on the possibility of running a separate ballot initiative that would generate funds for a new Greenacres/Veradale branch on Conklin Road. The project was one of three – along with a new Spokane Valley library and extension of the Argonne Branch – to appear on this month’s ballot.
Spokane County Library District Executive Director Mike Wirt describes the distribution of the vote to establish a Library Capital Facilities Area in the greater Spokane Valley at Tuesday’s SCLD board of trustees meeting. SCLD saw two initiatives defeated on the March 11 ballot.
Payne described how SCLD has already purchased land for the 14,000-square-foot Conklin Road branch, a project with an estimated price tag of $7 million.
“That’s what we’re here for – to make the library system work for our customers,” he said.
Wirt pointed out that the board would have to file its intent by March 29 with Spokane County to have the vote on the May ballot. An August vote would be another possibility – a scenario that would mean alerting the county by May 22. November’s general election and February 2009 were also mentioned as ballot options.
Board Vice-Chairman Jacob Laete said the district might consider “letting it rest for a while.”
“Maybe it would be better to get our ducks in order,” Laete said.
Other trustees agreed that 2009 might be the best time to run the vote again.
Wirt added that redefining the Library Capital Facilities Area – a district that now includes all three projects – would mean going back to the Spokane Valley City Council and the Millwood Town Council for approval. Wirt said he would report back to the board on the possibility of running the LCFA as established along with a bond vote for the Conklin Road branch.
The LCFA requires a simple majority – or any margin over 50 percent – for approval. Passage does not initiate any funding mechanism, but simply establishes a patronage area where the capital facility projects are located. The LCFA earned 49.5 percent of the vote on March 11. Another 103 votes would have meant approval of the LCFA.
Of the 54,945 ballots issued this month for the two library issues, 20,837 were returned. A total of 537 ballots did not include any manner of vote for the LCFA.
The bond issue – which would have raised $33.4 million for construction costs – earned 45.5 percent of the vote, falling well short of the 60 percent supermajority required for approval.
Last December, SCLD announced a purchase agreement for 3.5 acres of property in the University City area that would serve as the site of a new Spokane Valley Library. The library has frequently been mentioned in discussions of the Sprague/Appleway Revitalization Plan as the focal point of a new Spokane Valley city center. On Tuesday, Wirt asked the board if the latest vote would have an impact on the district’s decision to follow through with the land buy.
Laete expressed confidence that a negotiation could be worked out with the landowners despite the fact that the purchase agreement was contingent on approval of a vote that would fund the project.
“We’re the best people they could have on that site,” he said.
Former Spokane Valley Mayor and City Council Member Mike DeVleming spoke to the board during the public comment portion of the meeting, exhorting them to “not walk away from U-City.”
Wirt told the board he would contact the landowners to see if an agreement could be extended that would not result in a cost to SCLD. Wirt added that he would report back to the board in April on the Conklin Road bond, specifically the estimated cost per $1,000 on assessed property value.
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By
Craig Howard
