LET TERS
THE BEST SOLUTION
I
served
as
a
volunteer
citizen Eugene Budget Committee
member when we made the agonizing
decision to reduce library hours. The
City Council opted not to continue our
longstanding library levy during the
recession. We carried the library hours on
General Fund dollars and reserves as long
as we could. We pared back the cuts from
closure of both branch libraries to only
reduced hours. No one wanted to cut those
library hours, but it was the best of several
bad options.
I also served on the Revenue
Committee when citizens asked us to
restore those cuts. Our existing revenues
are not adequate to provide the services
that people expect and deserve. A
property tax levy is more progressive
than fee increases or other taxes, and it
has the advantage of being familiar and
transparent to the voters.
My first job was as a shelving assistant
in a public library, when it was merely
a place to find books. These days our
libraries are so much more! Students can
do homework, job seekers can find work
and we all benefit from having a quiet
place to relax, read and research. Please
vote “yes” for the libraries!
Marshall Wilde
Eugene
VIEWPOINT
a still-serviceable City Hall and lining the
pockets of politically connected developers
by handing them another $2.7 million.
Why didn’t the City Council consider
support for libraries (and parks, streets
and homeless shelters, for that matter)
when they passed MUPTE (Multiple Unit
Property Tax Exemption program) and
razed City Hall?
So I’m in a quandary. I don’t know how
I will vote, and I suspect I am not alone.
Tom Arnold
Eugene
A SMARTER COMMUNITY
THE LIBRARY QUANDARY
On the one hand, I like our new library,
I’m proud of it, I am a cardholder and I
use it. I’d like to see our library expand
and operate at full capacity. On the other
hand, I have a tough time justifying
rewarding the city of Eugene, which has
squandered millions of dollars destroying
Support the Eugene Public Library; it
benefits everyone. We can all enjoy better
services and help our neighbors, especially
those with little money. We’ve already
invested in the buildings, books and staff
training; a little more money would keep
the doors open longer so we could enjoy
these investments. It will cost the average
household only 10 cents a day ($36 a year)
to open the branch libraries on Sundays
and Mondays, and provide programs that
help kids read, get teens motivated and
support job hunters. We need everyone
functioning at his or her best as the world
is getting more competitive. The library
levy is a very cost-effective way to have a
smarter, more productive community.
Nancy Cheng
Eugene
BY KIT T Y PIERC Y A ND VAL HOYL E
Why Vote for the Library?
THE STORY BEHIND THE IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS
I
t’s Oct. 29. Have you voted yet? There’s only
one item on the ballot, and it’s really important.
Measure 20-235 will restore critical funding to
Eugene’s public libraries, and we urge you to
vote “yes.”
Over 150 years ago, Henri Amiel said, “Everything
you need for better future and success has already
been written. And guess what? All you have to do is
go to the library.” Think about it. Public libraries are,
and have always been, a stepping-stone to a better life
for anyone who walks in their doors.
Reading programs for kids, a quiet and safe place
to do homework, GED support for teens and adults,
information on how to start a business, plant a garden,
become a teacher; whatever your question or quest,
our public libraries are there for us. It’s time for us to
be there for them.
Voting “yes” on Measure 20-235 means saying
“yes” to young readers, to a community with access to
information and opportunity, to internet access for job
searches and school reports and to programs that faithfully
serve members of our community, both young and old.
In Eugene, we love our libraries, and we really
use them — 3,000 visitors every day. That’s over one
million visitors every year checking out over three
million items in all parts of the city. Here are some of
the people who use our libraries each day:
In Bethel, a teacher of a special needs class
regularly walks his students over from school
4
October 29, 2015 • eugeneweekly.com
because the neighborhood library is nearby, quiet and
comfortable for his students.
Downtown, people with no computers at home get
help and computer access to apply for jobs. Young
parents who feel isolated at home bring their children
for free story hours and make friends and introduce
their children to literacy.
At the Sheldon neighborhood library, eight senior
living facilities are within walking distance, and seniors
make the trip often. The library is a gift to thousands of
people in so many ways. We are guessing you know this.
Will we lose what we currently have if this levy
does not pass? The answer is no. More than 200
community members came to the City Council to
testify about the importance of our three libraries
during the last budget cycle. As a community, we said
we would work towards reintroducing a new library
levy to fund expanded hours, increased programming
and access to new technology. So this is not about fear
of losing anything. Measure 20-235 is really about
what we want for our kids and our community. It’s
really about progress and equity.
This levy is a small and progressive tax that
amounts to an average of $36 per year for homeowners.
It directly pays for expansions of library services. You
get to direct your tax dollars to what you want — and
we believe you want a library that can better serve
all our children and our entire community. That’s
why hundreds of people came again and again to ask
the city to put the levy back on the ballot. The city
responded to the people with this measure.
Kids who want a safe, enriching environment after
school shouldn’t be on a waiting list. All children
should have access to technology, the very tools that
will allow them to develop the skills to join the 21
century workforce, regardless of where they live.
The levy will give people of all ages and incomes
access to technology that they otherwise would not
have. This levy will help us reach out to more of
our youngest to ensure they too have access to early
learning opportunities no matter where they live. In
the words of Lady Bird Johnson, "Perhaps no place
in any community is so totally democratic as the town
library. The only entrance requirement is interest."
And this community supports the measure; don’t
just take our word for it. This levy is endorsed by Eugene
Weekly, The Register-Guard, Eugene Education
Association, Eugene/Springfield NAACP, Stand for
Children, League of United Latin American Citizens,
Lane Grupo Latino de Action Directa (GLAD), the
Democratic Party of Lane County, AFSCME Local
1724 and hundreds more (see voteyesforlibraries.org).
So go get that ballot! It’s too late to mail it, so get
it in a drop box by 8 pm Tuesday, Nov. 3. I urge you
to join us in voting yes for our libraries, our kids, our
community.
Kitty Piercy is mayor of Eugene and Val Hoyle is the state representative
for District 14.