The Library Helped Shape Me.
That’s Why This Decision Matters
Libraries have always been important to me.
My parents believed reading was one of the greatest gifts they could give their children. Trips to the library were a regular part of my childhood until they suddenly weren’t. Like many families in Colusa County, we experienced the early 1990s when our local libraries closed because of funding issues.
Even after the doors closed, I kept reading. “Goosebumps.” “The Secret Garden.” “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” “Strega Nona.” Those books introduced me to places I had never been and ideas I had never imagined. They sparked a curiosity that has stayed with me my entire life.
Most of my early library memories came from my elementary school library, where story time was just as important as recess. Books became more than assignments. They became adventures.
When the Colusa County Free Library reopened while I was in junior high school, it quickly became one of my favorite places.
I spent countless afternoons there. Librarians Barbara Johnson and Sharon McAnally encouraged my curiosity and gave me opportunities that helped shape the person I would become.
I started volunteering after school, sometimes for an hour, sometimes longer. By the time I reached high school, I had logged well over 100 volunteer hours. I had already completed more community service than my graduation requirements required.
The library taught me much more than how to shelve books.
I learned the Dewey Decimal System. I discovered the internet because we did not have a computer at home. I created my first email account. I learned how to catalog books, check out patrons and appreciate the quiet work that keeps a library running.
I still remember using the old Gaylord charging machine. Every checkout ended with a satisfying clunk as the circulation cards slid into place. At the end of the day, tiny paper chads piled up like confetti.
I even remember getting checked out of eighth grade early so I could attend the library’s volunteer appreciation luncheon. I was the youngest person in the room, surrounded by people who gave their time because they believed in the value of libraries.
Those memories have never left me.
Today, I still spend hours inside the Colusa County Free Library researching old newspapers and scrolling through microfilm. As a newspaper editor, those archives help me tell our community’s story accurately. I can lose an entire afternoon searching through decades of local history, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
That is why some people may be surprised by my position on the proposed library tax measures.
I believe libraries are essential to our communities.
I simply do not believe taxpayers should be asked to solve this problem before every other option has been exhausted.
The conversation has centered on two proposals. One would create a county-sponsored parcel tax of about $140 per parcel. The other, a citizen-led initiative, is considering a tax closer to $85 per parcel, with the county continuing to fund a significant portion of library operations.
I believe both proposals are flawed.
Not because libraries are unimportant. They are.
But because I believe government has a responsibility to fully explore every available option before asking taxpayers for more money.
Libraries are not a luxury. They are a core public service. The county has operated the Colusa County Free Library for generations. Maintaining that service should be part of the county’s responsibility, not something shifted to taxpayers because balancing the budget has become difficult.
It seems that every few years another public service reaches a financial crossroads, and the solution becomes another tax.
Utility rates continue to increase. Sales taxes have increased. Property owners continue paying additional assessments. Families are feeling the effects of inflation every day.
At what point do we simply say enough?
If the library receives a special tax today, what comes next? Animal control? The assessor’s office? Another county department that finds itself underfunded?
Where does it stop?
Supporters often say the tax amounts to only about $7 a month. That may not seem like much. But many of those same households think twice before spending $1 on a newspaper or paying for an annual subscription. I understand that because I work in an industry that constantly hears people say newspapers are no longer relevant.
Yet when people need to know what happened at a city council meeting, when they want to research local history or understand the issues affecting their community, they still turn to local journalism.
Libraries face many of those same misconceptions. Some people argue they are underused. Others believe everything is online.
Neither is true.
Libraries provide internet access, research materials, children’s programs, community meeting spaces and historical archives that cannot simply be replaced with a search engine.
That is exactly why I believe they deserve better than becoming another line item taxpayers are expected to rescue.
I also question whether the proposed taxes fairly distribute the cost.
Consider a family farmer who owns multiple noncontiguous parcels. An $85 tax applied to each parcel could quickly become hundreds of dollars every year. Meanwhile, a 30-unit apartment complex would pay the same amount for the entire property.
Is that equitable?
I’ve also heard people say landlords will simply absorb the cost. History tells us otherwise. Property owners pass costs along whenever they can. Renters eventually pay too.
Maybe there are other answers.
Maybe branch operations should be reevaluated. Maybe administrative costs should be examined. Maybe county-owned buildings could be used differently. Maybe additional partnerships or grants deserve another look.
I don’t claim to have the perfect solution.
What I do know is that I have not seen enough evidence that every possible option has been explored before asking voters to approve another tax.
Were staffing levels examined? Were administrative salaries reviewed? Were operational efficiencies considered? Were all alternatives presented publicly before this discussion became centered on a parcel tax?
Those are reasonable questions.
Libraries helped shape my life. They introduced me to reading, research, technology and eventually a career in journalism. They gave me access to knowledge when I couldn’t find it anywhere else. They helped make me the person I am today.
I want future generations to have those same opportunities.
I also want a county government that treats libraries as an essential service, not a budget problem to be handed back to taxpayers.
The building has always been called the Colusa County Free Library.
If the only way we know how to keep its doors open is by adding another tax bill to every mailbox in the county, perhaps it’s time to ask an uncomfortable question.
Should we still call it the Colusa County Free Library?
Or has it become the Colusa County Taxed Library?