LOS ANGELES COUNTY : County Library Chief to Seek New Tax District

The head of the county’s 87-branch library system said Friday she will fight to create a tax district that would provide a permanent funding source for the cash-strapped agency.

By September, Sandra Reuben said, she hopes the county will have a Community Facilities District. In such zones, similar to fire protection districts, residents are required to pay an annual fee, depending on the estimated benefit of the service to a property owner. Now, the library system gets nearly all its funding from property taxes.

The libraries were first hit with budget cuts when the state “borrowed” from the county coffer in 1992 to cover its deficit. During the 1993 state budgeting process, the state took about $600 million in property taxes. The county cuts forced Reuben to lay off about 300 employees, close 10 libraries and reduce hours at libraries still open by 60%. More than half of all libraries are open only two days a week.

The libraries operate on a $37-million annual budget, down more than $23 million from the 1992-93 budget.

The library system won a temporary reprieve from another round of cuts Thursday when the Board of Supervisors allocated $2.5 million to help the system until September. The board also allocated $500,000 to buy new books and magazines.