AGOURA HILLS : Mayor Wants Out of Library District

Agoura Hills Mayor Louise Rishoff indicated Tuesday that she wants to discontinue the city’s participation in a new Los Angeles County library assessment district, saying she fears the city won’t get back the money it puts in.

“My continuing concern is that we have no commitment from the county in terms of maintaining the present level of services,” she said.

Sixteen cities belong to Community Facilities District No. 8, formed last year to offset cuts in services by the fiscally strapped county library system, which funds Agoura Hills’ library.

After the district was formed, the Board of Supervisors stepped in and gave $22.5 million to the library system, which is not part of the county’s general fund. However, county officials say that they doubt that supervisors will do the same this year, and that cities in the assessment district should be prepared to pay into the district or face cuts.

Rishoff said she does not want Agoura Hills to contribute to the assessment district without knowing whether supervisors will put money toward the libraries this year.

“They are now threatening cuts again, but we have no idea whether that is going to happen--with or without the (assessment district)--so we are working blind here,” she said.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the matter at its meeting at 7 tonight at City Hall, 30101 Agoura Court. Council members will vote on the matter at a later date.

Rishoff and other city officials have been frustrated in their attempts to persuade the county library system to commit to building a new library in Agoura Hills.

Meanwhile, Agoura Hills is faced with maintaining services in a heavily used library that has outgrown its building.

Historically, Rishoff said, a disproportionate amount of property tax money from Agoura Hills and other well-off cities has gone to libraries in poorer areas. She said she believes that any funds raised by the new district would be used in the same way.

County Librarian Sandra Reuben disputed Rishoff’s claim that the Agoura Hills library gets a disproportionately smaller share of funds. To the contrary, Reuben said, the library gets more funding than many other facilities.

“We allocate all our tax dollars by a very careful formula that considers population and use,” she said. “Actually, Agoura Hills is getting much more value back because they are the largest, busiest library in that area.”