The county registrar has received more than 36,262 ballots two
weeks into the special mail-in election to fund the county library
system.
The county registrar has received more than 36,262 ballots two weeks into the special mail-in election to fund the county library system.
The ballot contains Measures A and B, which would assess property taxes to fund the nine libraries in the county system, including those in Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
Measure A would extend for 10 years an annual $33.66 parcel tax and Measure B would levy an additional $12 annually. Measure B can not pass if Measure A fails.
All told, the registrar sent out 212,331 ballots last week.
To prevent the parcel tax from expiring the library joint powers authority decided to spend $1.8 million to put on a special election rather than place the measures on the consolidated ballot in November.
In March, the JPA spent $14,866.17 from the library system’s general fund on an informational brochure, said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes.
The campaign paid for a separate mailer that front side of that mailer declared that the nine county libraries would close if the measures fail and was subsequently called misleading by some library advocates.
Instead, libraries would be closed for more hours. Morgan Hill City Librarian Rosanne Macek said libraries would only be open 30 hours a week, down from 46 as of October 2004, and down from 54 hours before that.
Santa Clara Supervisor Don Gage, who sits on the library board, said that future mailers will be financed with private money.
The campaign also has paid for other mailers.
An advertisement paid by an anti-parcel tax organization in several newspaper says that County Librarian Cervantes all but said that a large library bond would be needed to upgrade present infrastructure.
Gilroy Dispatch reporter Matt King can be reached at mk***@************ch.com or 847-7240.
