Library fate awaits council

Nearly two weeks after voters approved a property tax increase to improve Spokane city services it was unclear whether the city will have enough money to put its five neighborhood branches back on five-day-a-week schedules as suggested in the campaign to raise property taxes.

Restoration of library service still hinges on City Council approval of an increase on the tax on city utilities from 17 to 20 percent.

City Council President Dennis Hession said the utility tax increase remains under consideration by council members, who still have several weeks to adopt a 2006 city budget. Council members have expressed concerns about the effect of a tax increase on utility customers.

“If they don’t pass that utility tax, I don’t know what that means for libraries,” said Pat Partovi, acting library director.

She said some library patrons believe that voter approval of the two-year increase in the regular property tax levy settled the issue of expanded library service. But the property tax increase – 32 cents for every $1,000 of assessed valuation – makes up about half of a city plan to close a $6.5 million budget shortfall for 2006 needed to restore library hours.

Sixty-one percent of voters said yes to the property tax increase.

Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers said that is a show of voter support for a utility tax increase, so she is supporting the higher utility tax. “I look at that (the vote on Proposition 1) as part of the package deal,” she said.

The mayor is also seeking wage and benefit concessions from employee groups. He has obtained a tentative agreement with Local 270 rank-and-file workers.

The Spokane Library Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted for an expanded schedule at the five neighborhood branches in the event that the City Council approves a utility tax increase.

Partovi said library users want to know when the expanded hours will begin. “We’re already getting comments from the public. They want us to do it now,” she said.

The library system is seeking a $500,000 increase over its 2005 budget of $6.6 million to pay for built-in increases in salary and benefit costs as well as the addition of part-time clerical staffers to provide expanded hours at three of the five branches. The cost of the additional staff is estimated at $200,000.

Currently, librarians at the five neighborhood branches work three days at one library and two days at another.

Shadle and South Hill libraries are open three days a week while Indian Trail, East Side and Hillyard branches are open just two days a week.

The plan calls for using the existing librarians at Shadle and South Hill, where full services would be offered Tuesday through Saturday.

Part-time clerical workers would be hired to check out and check in materials at Indian Trail, East Side and Hillyard on half-day schedules those same days.

The Downtown Library would continue to operate on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule.

The proposed hours for Shadle and South Hill would be noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Proposed hours for Indian Trail, East Side and Hillyard would be 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays; 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays.

The current 17 percent tax on utilities is included as part of monthly utility rates because it is considered a tax on the utility and not on its customers. However, tax critics say that is misleading. If the tax were itemized as an add-on to utility charges it would actually be 20.49 percent currently, according to civic watchdog Dick Adams.