Save the Date: Boulder Library District Discussion March 8, 2022 at 7:00 pm at the Left Hand Grange
A town hall with David Farnan, the director of the Boulder Public Library, and Library Foundation CEO, Chris Barge, has been scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 at the Left Hand Grange. David and Chris will talk about the proposed Boulder County Library District, encourage public discussion, and take questions. This informative meeting for the community is designed to encourage citizens to be as informed as possible before they vote in November.
In January, the Library District Advisory Committee (LDAC) made its recommendations on the scope of the proposed district and its potential funding (a mill levy between 3.7-3.8 mills, which would generate approximately $19-$19.5 million annually). Forming a district would set the stage for expanded services including new branches in Gunbarrel and possibly Niwot. Because the proposed boundaries for the Boulder district (including Niwot), will go to public comment on April 1st, it would be helpful for Niwot residents to learn more about the legal requirements for district formation as we all weigh whether to include Niwot in the BPL district boundaries. The county commissioners need to hear from their constituents prior to finalizing the district boundaries at the April 5 meeting, and March 31st is the deadline for Boulder to finalize its boundaries for public notice purposes. That is the first of many legal steps required to form the library district and get the funding question on the ballot this year.
Last month, the Library District Advisory Committee (LDAC) met to make its recommendations, and both the City Council and the Boulder County Commissioners have held study sessions to review the process and procedures to form a library district by resolution, LDAC’s recommendations for the intergovernmental agreement that will address transfer of facilities and other administrative issues, upcoming key dates for actions needed to form a library district, including district formation in early April and a community vote on funding in November 2022, and a process and timeline for reallocation of current library funding should voters approve a property-tax increase to fund a library district. The County has a hard deadline of May 31 for boundaries to be set for anything appearing on the November 2022 ballot.
Everyone is invited to attend this town hall. Please come to the town hall and share your thoughts and questions.