Future of Warrenton library on May ballot

Apr. 14—WARRENTON — Voters will decide whether to extend a lifeline to the Warrenton Community Library in the May election.

Measure 4-222 would renew a local option levy at the existing tax rate — 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. If approved, the levy would raise more than $1.3 million over five years.

The library is not funded by the city's budget and survives on the levy as the only source of revenue.

In the November election, the library board sought a 5-cent increase to the levy's tax rate — from 33 cents to 38 cents — to enhance staffing, hours and community programs. But voters rejected the measure by a narrow margin.

The defeat left the future of the library on S. Main Avenue in peril, given that the levy will expire in June if not extended.

After several considerations, the library board opted to stick with the existing tax rate in the hopes of swaying more voters in May. According to the ballot title, a home with an assessed value of $250,000 will pay $82.50 per year.

Kelsey Balensifer, the chairwoman of the library board, said despite the discouraging loss in November, the levy's failure has drawn more supporters to the campaign.

"That was the silver lining — you had a lot more people talking about the library and realizing that this amazing resource could be in jeopardy," she said.

Balensifer said the campaign has tried to provide a clearer message to voters about the implications of the levy and the fact that there will be no increase to the tax rate.

"We know that some folks were not enthused about the tax increase we were requesting in November, so we listened to what people had to say," she said.

The city has posted banners supporting the library in a nonpolitical manner on S. Main Avenue, but the stakes are clear. An explanatory statement in the Clatsop County voters' pamphlet says a "no" vote on the measure will close the library.

Balensifer emphasized the utility the library provides to the community beyond just books, such as the community programs, events, technology, games, musical instruments and more.

"It's always growing and changing. There are always new offerings based on what the community is asking for, what people are needing," Balensifer, who is married to Mayor Henry Balensifer, said. "We are constantly reinventing ourselves as a library and reevaluating what works, what the community needs and what they're asking for so we can meet those needs."

While there appeared to be no organized opposition to the levy in November and no coordinated campaign so far against the May vote, much of the sentiment against the levy involves concerns about the tax burden.

Voters approved a substantial increase in the tax rate for the library in 2017 — 9 cents to 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value — when the library moved from a crumbling structure in Hammond to downtown.

Christine Bridgens, who serves on the Planning Commission, said she voted against the levy with the tax increase in November and plans to vote against the extension in May.

"I just do not think that we need a library in Warrenton," she said. "I think we have good libraries very nearby."

Bridgens conceded that her position is likely not popular, but pointed to the tax on residents. "I just don't think I want more of a tax burden for a library that I don't think is necessary," she said.

A political action committee — Save Our Library PAC — plans to host a campaign kickoff event for the ballot measure on Sunday at the community center. The committee was formed in 2017 and reinstituted last year to raise money and garner support for the levy.

The space housing the library on S. Main Avenue is rented from the Warrenton-Hammond School District. The city is looking to potentially relocate the library to a city-owned facility to save money in the library's budget.