For the last few years, elected officials and community members have mulled over how to expand the San Benito County Free Library and its services, with high cost being the main hindrance. Now with the completion of a feasibility study, results show that paying for a library expansion or new facility with a bond measure in the November election lacks enough voter support.
Andie Morhous, director of EMC Research, Inc., presented the results of the survey to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4. Morhous said her research group conducted 510 interviews through phone and online surveys.
According to the study, San Benito County lacks about 7% of support needed to meet the two-thirds threshold to pass a bond measure. Nonetheless, community members spoke positively about the results and how to move forward.
“What is 7%?” Hollister School District Trustee Jan Grist asked. “That is a very attainable number. It is a threshold we can meet. I urge the Board of Supervisors to select a site, get some plans done because we cannot go to the state, we cannot ask for private help from a benefactor until we have these basics done.”
Survey participants rated how convincing opposition messages were to bond measures of $45 million and $60 million. Among the most supported messages were that residents were paying enough taxes, there were other priorities such as roads and homelessness, and that instead of politicians asking for taxpayer money they should fund the new library by cutting excessive pay and benefits.
This is the second study of the San Benito County Free Library in recent years. In August 2016, Library Systems Services Inc. conducted a needs assessment of current library facilities and a proposed technology, education and library (TEL) center. In a February 2017 report that was given no guiding parameters, the Board of Supervisors ended up with report describing a 60,000-square-foot TEL Center that would cost $47 million.
Of the 510 people surveyed for the latest study, 32% said they do not know the quality of the library’s current facilities. San Benito County Historical Society President Anita Kane sees that as an opportunity to reach out to residents.
“I can’t believe that anybody in our community would not vote in favor of such a project if they would only walk through a neighboring community’s library and see what they are offered there, looking along the facility we have now that does so much with so little,” Kane said. “Outreach is absolutely the key to getting this done.”
County Librarian Nora Conte looked positively at the results and called it a big step forward.
“This study is an investment for the future because we’ve learned a lot here,” she said. “We can plan around this. We can work with this because my message stays the same. A library is not about one of us or some of us, it’s about all of us.”
While the Board of Supervisors has previously stated that it supports the library, but lacks the funds to build a new one, Supervisor Anthony Botelho said the way to fund the project is expanding the county’s economic base.
“We had a morning with this room full of people that we did cut their benefits,” Botelho said. “There is no excessive pay anywhere in this whole county so that’s not a very compelling message to me. We run really on a shoestring.”
Botelho clarified his comment with BenitoLink and said he referred to retired county employees at the meeting who asked during public comment to be on the next meeting agenda to present a petition.
Supervisor Mark Medina said San Benito County can include State Senator Ana Caballero and Assemblyman Robert Rivas in the discussion. He also said Proposition 14—a state grant for renovation or construction of public libraries—is another possibility.
County Administrative Officer Ray Espinosa reminded supervisors that the county implemented a library impact fee over a year ago and the fund has accumulated about $275,000.
With supervisors pledging to continue their support for the library, Supervisor Jim Gillio pointed out how happy library-goers are with staff and library services.
“Eighty-five percent of those people have a positive interaction and positive experience with our library and our staff, so I wanted to thank Nora and her team and the Friends of the Library for that because I think that needs to be said,” Gillio said.
Other related BenitoLink articles:
San Benito County to contract for a feasibility study on new library
Hollister council passes support resolution for library expansion
Community group seeks support for a new county library