Ojai to Ask Voters Again for Library Tax

Ojai voters will get another chance to vote on the future of their library’s funding.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to put the proposed tax of $35 per parcel on the March 26 ballot.

The measure--which is designed to help keep the cash-starved library open--failed to receive the required 66.7% approval by two percentage points, or about 60 votes, earlier this month.

To make the measure more attractive to voters, the council eliminated a yearly inflationary increase on the proposed parcel tax. City officials estimated that the yearly adjustment for inflation would have hovered around 3% and increased the tax to about $39 in five years.

City leaders said that passing the measure is crucial for the survival of the library. They said they fear that the Ventura County-run library can no longer depend on state and county funding in this era of tight budgets.

The library, which received $237,000 this year, stays open 33 hours a week, with a small city contribution and private help. By contrast, the county kept the library open 50 hours a week in 1992 with a $400,000 contribution.

“We just can’t depend on the county to fund its libraries beyond the next fiscal year,” Ojai Mayor Nina V. Shelley said. “We need money to keep the library afloat.”

The measure, if passed, is expected to raise about $100,000 a year for the library, city officials said. Private donations are expected to increase that number by several thousand dollars.