A New Library Tax Campaign
- Livable El Cerrito
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
A campaign intended to fund planning and construction of a new library in the Plaza BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD) was officially launched at a meeting May 7 in the Veterans’ Hall. The ballot measure was submitted to the City Clerk on May 6, according to the measure’s author, Greg Lyman.
About 20 people attended the campaign launch meeting, including leaders of the campaign and long-time library supporters like Al Miller and Gary Pokorny. Yard signs and sign-up sheets were available for volunteers.
Future Library’s Location
The ballot measure language does not specify that the new library must be built in the Plaza BART TOD but that is a goal, according to Lyman, the treasurer of the Committee for a Plaza Station Library. He said the Plaza option is the likeliest way of getting a new library built soon.
Council member William Ktsanes said he appreciates that the measure does not specify that a new library must be built at the Plaza.
“It requires the City Council to review and approve the plan, which hopefully provides a way to explore options and address community concerns,” Ktsanes said.
The measure specifies that the City Council would select “an option that best serves the people of El Cerrito.” Construction of a new library at Plaza BART is listed as a goal in the city’s strategic plan and is supported by four of five current City Council members.
Two-Stage Campaign
The effort will be a two-stage campaign because supporters hope to get the measure placed on the June 2026 ballot as a citizens’ initiative.
First, supporters will need to collect signatures of 10 percent of registered voters. Then, if the measure qualifies for the ballot in 2026, the group will campaign to get voter approval.
If the initiative ends up on an actual El Cerrito ballot, it will be the first citizens’ initiative in recent history to do so. An initiative to allow negative votes on candidates for office and one related to rent control did not end up on the ballot, Lyman recalls.
Expect Petitions This Summer
Campaign volunteers will start trying to collect signatures in June and come out in force at the city’s 4th of July celebration. The drive to collect signatures will continue at neighborhood gatherings on National Night Out in August and through the fall, Lyman said. The goal is to collect 2,200 signatures in order to secure 1,800 valid signatures, he said.
The library described in the initiative is similar to the Plaza Station Library proposal that the City Council considered but chose not to place on the ballot after polling in November 2023 showed the measure would not pass.
Is Majority of 50% Plus One Vote Legal?
At that time, however, Plaza library supporters believed they needed to win approval from two-thirds of El Cerrito voters. This is the requirement for any special tax placed on the ballot by the City Council.
Now the group is trying to place the measure on the ballot as a citizens’ ballot initiative because an initiative can be passed with 50% of all votes plus one vote.
Several residents who heard about the new plan questioned whether this type of property tax can be passed without approval by two-thirds of voters.
Lyman said he is confident that an initiative for this purpose is legal because the city of San Rafael passed a library funding initiative in November 2024. The Committee for a Plaza Station Library has hired the same attorney who worked on the San Rafael initiative, he said.
Tax Amount and Duration
The ballot measure language does not specify a total cost for the library.
It would authorize a special tax of up to 17 cents per square foot of improved building area per year, or $340 per year on a 2,000 square foot house. This would apply to all building types and there would be a tax of $100 per year on each vacant parcel. The tax would be subject to an annual cost of living increase.
Lyman said the actual tax would probably be less than 17 cents per square foot of improved building space.
The tax collected could only be used for planning, constructing and furnishing a new library plus the city’s costs of operating the library for 10 years.
In November 2023, the cost of building a 20,000 square foot library on the ground floor of an apartment building on Fairmount Avenue and Liberty Street was estimated at $21.2 million, so a reasonable updated estimate is about $24 million, he said.
The tax would end 30 years after the initial issuance of bonds.
It could only be used to cover operating costs for the first 10 years after construction.
Higher Operating Costs
The library, which would be three times the size of the existing building at 6510 Stockton St., would have higher operating costs. These include higher utility costs, cleaning and maintenance fees, along with extra library staff hours to open the new library for 56 hours per week, Lyman said. Currently, the county pays enough staff for 36 hours and the city pays a small amount to keep the library open at least 40 hours per week.
Lyman said library supporters want the new library to have expanded collections but this would not be funded by the tax. Instead, the Friends of the Library hope to raise money to fund new items for an El Cerrito library collection, Lyman said.
Why 10 Years of Operating Costs?
Councilmember Ktsanes questioned the choice to fund library operating costs for ten years instead of 30.
“I’m concerned about the burden it places on the city’s general fund to cover the operating expenses after year ten,” Ktsanes said. “I guess the assumption is the city will be in a better position in ten years than it is now but I don’t know if that’s a fair assumption. Hopefully it is.”
Lyman said, “After ten years we will know what budget will be needed and either the city can absorb that in the general fund or the county would pass a new tax. “It’s my understanding the county is going to come up with a (tax) mechanism to pay for 56 hours at all libraries.”
Recently, Contra Costa County has been conducting a survey of library users. And a consulting firm, McGuire and Associates, has been conducting a survey for the city, El Cerrito residents have reported.
Will Provost, assistant to the city manager, confirmed that there is an ongoing survey. He said it was “commissioned by the City of El Cerrito to understand opinions on important local issues.”
What Happens After 30 Years?
In discussions and on social media, residents have expressed concern that the city will not own the library site and the library’s construction and continued operation could be put at risk by events that affect BART and the project developer.
Lyman said the city has hired an owner’s rep (Griffin Structures) to negotiate a fair and workable library deal with the other parties.
Space for Seniors?
At the May 7 meeting, Lisa Martinengo and Buddy Akacic asked about the potential for dedicated space for seniors.
Lyman said the answer won't be known until there is tax money so the city can move forward with design.
Lyman had just visited the Pleasant Hill library where he observed that space in the library is allocated to different groups for different time slots. He was skeptical that the county library system would agree to a dedicated space within the library for a particular type of user.
On the other hand, Lyman said El Cerrito library supporters have talked about whether the new building could contain a space that could be segregated from the library and accessed after-hours for use as a public space.
That’s not known, he said.
What’s the Timeline?
Kathleen Wong asked when a new library might be completed.
Lyman said the building that would house a library could break ground in January 2027, based on what he has heard about the developer’s current schedule,
Taller Than One Story?
Sebastian, who did not give his last name, asked whether the new library could have multiple stories and be built on a smaller footprint.
Lyman said libraries with more than one floor have an increased cost of staffing in order to keep librarians’ eyes and ears on every floor.
Back-Up Library Locations?
Courtney Helion asked if there are “back-up locations for the library in case Building C (in the Plaza development) is delayed.”
Lyman replied that the feasibility of the existing library site will be looked at by the owner’s rep hired by the city.
He added that acquiring an acre of the former Portola School site near the Community Center is desirable but its feasibility is “unpredictable.” The land is owned by the West Contra Costa Unified School District and building there would cost more than a Plaza Station library, Lyman said.
Volunteers and Donations Wanted
Lyman concluded by asking people to volunteer for the campaign. People willing to circulate petitions can sign up for on-line training sessions in June that will offer role playing, engagement tips, and talking points.
“We want you to be well-prepared,” Lyman said.
Volunteers who are “not extroverts” could help in other ways, he said. For links, see the group’s website, which is in the process of being updated.
The campaign aims to raise $30,000 this year and another $20,000 next year, Lyman said.
The Friends of the El Cerrito Library are not raising money to fund the expanded collection a 20,000 SqFt library would need. The El Cerrito Library Foundation is doing that.
I found the library survey to be very biased and intentionally designed to elicit pro new library results.
I know many people including myself who are opposed to the new library plan. The so called public meetings did not allow for any actual public dialogue. They seemed like marketing events for a plan that had already been decided. It doesn't appear that the city is open to discussing any opposition. Very frustrating...
I wonder how many voters will read the full nine-page ballot measure?