The next children
’s Story Time at the Morgan Hill Library may go something like
this: There was an old man who lived on Del Monte. He voted “yes”
for Measure A but not Measure B.
The next children’s Story Time at the Morgan Hill Library may go something like this:
There was an old man who lived on Del Monte. He voted “yes” for Measure A but not Measure B.
This fictional voter saved himself $1 a month and the chance to use the library on Mondays.
In fact, 72 percent of voters said yes to Measure A, and the librarians called it a resounding success.
By a wide margin, Santa Clara County voters agreed to extend for 10 years a $33.66 parcel tax to fund the county library system. A second measure that would have levied an additional $12 each year received broad support, but with 64 percent of the vote, fell just shy of the two-thirds majority required to pass such a tax measure.
Measure B would have allowed the libraries to reopen on Mondays. If Measure A had failed, library hours would likely be reduced from the current 46 to 30 hours a week, according to City Librarian Rosanne Macek. The library is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Macek told the City Council Wednesday that the measure’s success would mean good things for the city.
“I am very pleased to announce that Measure A passed yesterday with 72 percent of the vote,” Macek said. “This means we can continue services at our current level without layoffs.”
She said the Bookmobile would continue its four day a week schedule and the acquisitions (of new material) budget would increase slightly.
“We were looking at pretty drastic cuts,” Masek said. “Yesterday’s success was due to many hard-working volunteers, including Councilman Steve Tate (the city’s representative to the library governing board), to Library Commissioner Bert Berson and Friends of the Library President Carol O’Hare, co-chairs of the local campaign.”
Macek also praised Vicky Reader, who coordinated weeks of phone banking, when teams of volunteers called likely “yes” voters, encouraging them to return their ballots.
Macek mentioned one other positive effect passing Measure A will have on Morgan Hill. The council approved the schematic drawings for its new library Wednesday night.
“It would have been a shame to have the new library open only 30 hours a week,” she said.
The victory for Measure A means the nine-member library system is assured of a $5.4 million revenue stream for the next decade. That’s about 20 percent of its total operating budget.
County librarian Melinda Cervantes said Tuesday night that the result will more or less maintain the system’s status quo.
O’Hare said she was less than happy with the overall results.
“I’m gratified that Measure A passed so decisively,” O’Hare said, “but disappointed that voters thought expanding our library services wasn’t worth $12 a year.”
The Morgan Hill campaign worked hard, she said, calling likely voters and encouraging them to return their mail-in ballots. South Valley National Bank and other local businesses offered their phone systems after hours to teams of callers, headed up by campaign worker Vicki Reader.
Tate said he sees the vote as the glass half full, half empty – or more.
“I actually see the glass three-quarters full,” Tate said. “We didn’t lose our current funding so obviously the strategy of doing the vote separately worked. A vote of 64.23 percent isn’t discouraging.”
Tate said he is anxious to see how Morgan Hill voted because, if the level of support is there, it is possible that residents would want to tax themselves to open their new library on Monday. Other cities – Los Altos, Milpitas and Saratoga – fund an extra day outside county library funding.
The county registrar’s office said Tuesday night that it will be about two weeks before precinct information is available.
The city Library Commission will hear a wrap up of the election and its budgetary implications from Cervantes on Monday, May 9, 7pm at City Hall.
