Both the Santa Clara County Library Joint Powers Authority board and the Saratoga Library Commission discussed how the state's proposal to take $2.6 million in county library taxes and the March 2 failure of ballot Measure B will affect library services. That ballot measure proposed instituting an annual $42-per-household tax to take the place of a $33.66-per-household tax that ends June 30, 2005.

The JPA could not take any action at its March 25 meeting, as final ballot results were not scheduled to be available until March 30—the body will meet again in April to make decisions about policy changes. But board members talked about if and when to bring a new ballot measure to voters, as well as how to best cut services and possibly implement new methods of generating revenue.

County librarian Melinda Cervantes told board members that the next opportunity for a ballot measure to continue that benefit assessment tax would be in March 2005. The JPA is required to wait 12 months before presenting the measure. There are opportunities in June and November, too, but Cervantes said the measure would have to pass before August to be on the 2004­05 tax roll.

While the cost of running a special election in March or June in an "off" year is substantially higher, many board members said they would not want libraries to miss out on a year of funding. Some also added that getting voters to the polls to vote "yes" may be easier when it is the only item on the ballot.

While the Saratoga Library Commission tabled discussion of investigating alternative funding options at its March 24 meeting, commissioners added the issue to their work list for the next fiscal year. The commission also talked about why Measure B may have failed. Commissioners reported several instances of voter confusion and added education about funding to the work list.

"It's our business to educate the community about what the library does and how it's funded," Commissioner Ruth Gipstein said.

JPA board member Donald Gage, the District 1 supervisor, said a November election might allow more time for voter education, as well as more time to see what the cuts will mean for library services.

"We should go for the general election," he said. "I think we should let people see what those cuts are going to be like."

What is still to be determined is exactly what those cuts will be like. Chairman Richard Lowenthal, a Cupertino City Council member, asked other board members which cost-cutting measure seemed more appropriate.

"Do we want to compromise the quality of library services," he asked, "or just cut back on time?"

Most of the board members said they preferred cutting service hours, not quality. Campbell Mayor Daniel Furtado said library staff would likely be overworked if the system attempted to keep its current hours with reduced staffing.

"Pretty soon you're just going to run staff ragged," he said. "In the long term you'll just demoralize them."

Los Altos Councilman Curtis Cole agreed.

"The quality of services should remain the No. 1 priority," he said.

Saratoga Councilman Norman Kline said he also favored reduction of hours rather than quality, adding that whatever method it chooses, the board should create its budget as though it will never pass a bond measure.

"We have to assume that money is gone from a financial point of view," he said. "We have to look at it as though we're never going to win that election. That's the responsible thing to do."

The board also entertained the idea of raising existing service fees and fines or implementing new fees for currently free services.