PORT ANGELES — While public libraries throughout Clallam County are dark this week, North Olympic Library System officials are eyeing the possibility of asking voters to approve a tax levy increase during the August primary election, said Paula Barnes, North Olympic Library System director, Wednesday.
Public libraries in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Clallam Bay are closed this week to save money in light of an anticipated $163,000 budget shortfall.
Another temporary closure is planned from Aug. 30 to Sept. 4.
The library board is considering asking the voters of Clallam County to approve a property tax levy rate increase from 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to 50 cents per $1,000.
The board had previously considered placing the measure on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, but is now considering moving it up to August, Barnes told a group of about 40 at a Port Angeles Rotary Club luncheon.
She said that the request would be the first in 32 years and, if it passed, it will be the last increase for a decade.
“We are ready to pledge that this will keep us going for the next 10 years,” she said.
The 50 cent rate is the maximum the system may ask for as a junior taxing district, Barnes said.
That would mean that the payment for the owner of a $200,000 home would increase from $66 per year to $100 annually. The levy would be county-wide.
All 51 employees of the North Olympic Library System, which oversees the four public libraries, are on an unpaid furlough during the closure.
The salary savings will amount to about $35,000 for this one-week period, Barnes said. Other savings, in such areas as utilities, are estimated to be about $1,000 for all four libraries, she said.
The four libraries will reopen for business on Monday at their regular times.
“We have many employees who are single parents supporting families, so we tried to select weeks that would cross two pay periods so that they won’t have the entire funding loss in one period.”
Barnes said even though the budget of the library — which is about $3.05 million for 2010 — has been increasing by the allowed 1 percent per year for the past nine years, inflation has caused the library to make small cuts each year.
“The last time we cut hours was in 2004 and we have not maintained the buildings as well as she should have.
“We are not fulfilling the mission of the library and if we looked at a number smaller than the 50 cents we would be looking at making cuts in a couple years or coming back to ask for more money again.”
Several audience members offered some suggestions including closing on a slow day during the week in order to offer hours on Sunday, and opening the library after hours for events.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
