Pending the Library Joint Powers Authority Board's decision, residents will vote whether to approve or reject a measure that would affect the amount they pay for parcel taxes.

On Oct. 23, the board voted to move forward with plans to place two measures on the March 2004 ballot, one of which would allow the creation of a Community Facilities District and the other that would require residents to pay an additional amount of money on parcel taxes for a seven-year period.

Residents living in single-family homes currently pay $33.60 in parcel taxes and owners of nonresidential retail spaces pay $84.15 per acre, as agreed upon by residents under the Library Benefit Assessment, which passed with a 71 percent vote in 1994 and is set to expire in June 2005.

Under the new measure, the parcel tax would increase to $42 for single-family homes and $105 for nonresidential retail buildings. In addition, nonretail-business owners would have to pay $315 per acre, up $63 from the current cost, while owners of undeveloped properties would need to pull out an additional $2.

"This is a reasonable increase for the type of services the library offers," said board member and Saratoga Councilman Norman Kline. "A lot of the residents agree that the county library system is one of the best. They would be willing to pitch in an extra amount of money for a good cause."

Kline said that the only concern he has is the length of time for which the new measure would be effective. He said that seven years would be too short and would like to have it be in effect for 10 years.

According to County Librarian Melinda Cervantes, the Library Benefit Assessment, which is analogous to the proposed Community Facilities District, accounts for approximately 21 percent of the library's funding source, which pays for hours of operation, books and services.

"This means that without voter approval, all libraries within the county library system will suffer severe cutbacks," Cervantes said.

For example, libraries would be forced to reduce their business days by up to two days in addition to cutting their daily hours of operation. For the Saratoga Library, that could mean users would have only four days to use the newly renovated facility or check out books, since it is already closed one day out of the week. In addition, there will be fewer books available, delayed orders of popular items, outdated research materials and reductions in services such as storytelling and after-school activities.

"The library is heavily utilized," said Judy Johnstone, co-chairwoman of and a Saratoga representative to a countywide campaign committee. "Decreasing the hours of operation would make a huge impact on the residents who use the library on a regular basis."

The library has a history of financial setbacks, according to Cervantes. For example, it lost 40 percent of its operating budget to the state's educational system in 1993, reducing the hours of operation from approximately 54 hours a week to 35 to 38 hours a week.

However, organizations and library advocates offered support throughout the years. According to Johnstone, when residents started requesting longer hours of operation, the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries kicked in and offered some financial support, making it possible for the library to stay open longer.

Basing her comment results of previous elections and several public opinion surveys, Virginia Parker, who is another Saratoga representative on the campaign committee, said she is optimistic that residents will pull through and give the votes necessary to pass the measure.

"Our goal is to make sure people understand that this is an extension of what we currently have, rather than something entirely new," she said. "The people in Saratoga understand the importance of having a good library in the community. The results from the last election reflect this."

For the next several weeks, Johnstone and Parker will be setting up informational tables at the library for those interested in learning more about the measure.

"It's important that we keep our new library in its optimal state," Johnstone said.

The Library Joint Powers Authority will discuss this issue in further detail at a Dec. 3 meeting to be held at 2 p.m. in the Campbell Library.