Ken Ragland
First, a bit of my background. I was personnel director at the King County Library System for five years, the same position at Seattle Public for four-plus years, a Renton Public Library Board member for 12 years and a Renton resident for 30 years. I am strongly opposed to the Renton Public Library joining KCLS for the following reasons:
1. A study we performed while I was on the board conclusively determined that the cost to Renton citizens would increase by 22 percent to 28 percent. KCLS contracts with incorporated cities for library services. We would be contrbuting to their administrative overhead for poorer service.
2. KCLS has a central book-selection committee which would have little or no knowledge of the needs of Renton Public Library patrons.
3. Renton Public Library currently gets new books, from purchase decision to shelves, in one to two weeks;
4. Reserves: Waiting time for reserves would increase exponentially.
5. Renton Public Library cardholders are eligible for KCLS library cards. We are also able to get books from all over the U.S. via inter-library loan.
Ken Ragland
Renton
1. A study we performed while I was on the board conclusively determined that the cost to Renton citizens would increase by 22 percent to 28 percent. KCLS contracts with incorporated cities for library services. We would be contrbuting to their administrative overhead for poorer service.
2. KCLS has a central book-selection committee which would have little or no knowledge of the needs of Renton Public Library patrons.
3. Renton Public Library currently gets new books, from purchase decision to shelves, in one to two weeks;
4. Reserves: Waiting time for reserves would increase exponentially.
5. Renton Public Library cardholders are eligible for KCLS library cards. We are also able to get books from all over the U.S. via inter-library loan.
Ken Ragland
Renton
Jim and Char Baker
While it is unclear what advantages will accrue to Renton residents if our library annexes to the King County Library System, one thing is very clear:
We would be voting for a significant increase in our taxes. Before you vote, compare your tax assessment to that of someone from Fairwood or other areas currently serviced by the KCLS. If you are a Renton Resident, in the section titled “Current Tax Distribution,” you will see that you pay $0 for our library (our support to the library comes from the city budget and is funded by the city tax. Our contribution to our library amounts to 26 cents per $1,000 evaluation). Passing this issue will not decrease our portion of the city tax. Passing this issue will include a new “library tax” amounting to 42 cents per $1,000 evaluation, or $126 on a $300,000 home. This money will go into a system already composed of 44 branches with no guarantee that it will be used in Renton. We would lose local control. Vote no!
Jim and Char Baker
Renton
We would be voting for a significant increase in our taxes. Before you vote, compare your tax assessment to that of someone from Fairwood or other areas currently serviced by the KCLS. If you are a Renton Resident, in the section titled “Current Tax Distribution,” you will see that you pay $0 for our library (our support to the library comes from the city budget and is funded by the city tax. Our contribution to our library amounts to 26 cents per $1,000 evaluation). Passing this issue will not decrease our portion of the city tax. Passing this issue will include a new “library tax” amounting to 42 cents per $1,000 evaluation, or $126 on a $300,000 home. This money will go into a system already composed of 44 branches with no guarantee that it will be used in Renton. We would lose local control. Vote no!
Jim and Char Baker
Renton
Ben Johnson
Generally, the larger the government entity, the less efficient it is and the less responsive it is to the needs of it citizens.
Nowhere is that more apparent in the KCLS: Their governance is several times removed from the citizens and their services are inefficient with many layers of oversight.
As a citizen, you would not have any direct say. You would elect the King County Council-members and the King County Executive who would then appoint a Board who then appoints a President who is responsible for the library bureaucracy. Several layers of management after that brings you to the libraries themselves.
If there was a problem, and there have been plenty, as a citizen you have no say at all. The board routinely ignores the citizens, the workers union, and the patrons.
Ben Johnson
Renton
Nowhere is that more apparent in the KCLS: Their governance is several times removed from the citizens and their services are inefficient with many layers of oversight.
As a citizen, you would not have any direct say. You would elect the King County Council-members and the King County Executive who would then appoint a Board who then appoints a President who is responsible for the library bureaucracy. Several layers of management after that brings you to the libraries themselves.
If there was a problem, and there have been plenty, as a citizen you have no say at all. The board routinely ignores the citizens, the workers union, and the patrons.
Ben Johnson
Renton