Library expansion rare ballot measure with no downside

Imagine a ballot measure that was straightforward and easy to understand, created jobs, improved an existing amenity, offered a 5-to-1 return on investment and cost absolutely zero additional tax dollars.

This isn’t a utopian fantasy. It’s the measure to expand Fort Collins’ main library, a rare initiative with no discernable downside, on the April 5 ballot.

For those of us somewhere else during the 1970s, voting on this issue is a bit puzzling. Back in the day, however, citizens wanted to protect downtown green space. So, in 1975, voters approved an ordinance that limits the footprint of buildings in what is…