Boulder Chamber to oppose creation of library district

BOULDER — The Boulder Chamber will oppose a planned ballot initiative that would create a library district independent of the city of Boulder.

The district would create a new property tax to fund the library system, and because the district would be larger than the city of Boulder, the tax would generate more revenue for operations.

“The Boulder Public Library is an amazing resource for the entire community and the Boulder Chamber is dedicated to working with the Boulder community to ensure there is adequate funding to meet current library infrastructure needs and to sustain desired programming assets,” Jonathan Singer, senior director of policy programs for the Boulder Chamber, said in a written statement. “The proposed library district takes this control away from our City Council and places it in the hands of an appointed governing body while imposing a new financial burden that will fall most heavily on local businesses and residents with fixed incomes.”

As planned, the library district ballot initiative would create a separate governing entity for oversight of Boulder’s libraries, managed by an independently appointed board of directors. Funding for the district would take the form of a new 3.5 mill levy, equivalent to roughly $1,000 on $1 million in commercial property and $243 on a $1 million home, the chamber said in a press statement.

“The Boulder Chamber strongly disagrees with the property tax increases due to the rise in inflation, economic instability and conditions for homeowners with fixed incomes. A raise in these taxes will mean increased hardships on community members and businesses that are already struggling to make ends meet,” the statement said.

“The Boulder Chamber is committed to advancing the mission of our libraries,” chamber president and CEO John Tayer said. “We recognize, in particular, the important economic vitality role they play as a business information resource and skills development center. That is why we support additional investment in our libraries and welcome the opportunity to work with library advocates on a funding mechanism that avoids imposing such a heavy burden on local businesses and maintains control of our elected leadership over this valued resource.” 

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