City to Study Leaving County Library System

Despite precautions from a county-commissioned library study, the city will spend $10,000 in consulting fees to pursue pulling its two libraries out of the county system.

“The reason the county is cautioning Irvine is because if you look at the contributions, Irvine is the largest contributing city in the entire system,” Mayor Mike Ward said Wednesday. “If Irvine pulls out, this will put a strain on the entire system.”

Irvine contributes $2.8 million in property taxes each year to the county system for its two libraries, according to the county library. Costa Mesa, which also has two county libraries, is the next highest contributor with $1.2 million a year.

“Irvine contributes more than twice any city in Orange County toward the library system,” Ward said at a council meeting this week. “You take the city of Garden Grove that has three libraries, and they contribute $740,000. We contribute $2 million more than they do.

“If they want the library system in the county to work, why don’t the other cities just contribute what Irvine contributes?”

Irvine issued a formal notice of intent to withdraw from the financially troubled county library system in October, fearing shorter operating hours and shrinking budgets for the purchase of books and materials.

The city will hire a consultant to study the feasibility of taking over the two libraries, along with options that include forming a partnership with local schools and colleges or with neighboring cities. The county’s library report recommended against such partnerships.

“I would argue with the consultants who reached that conclusion,” City Manager Paul Brady said. “I think it can be done and people want it to be done.”