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Palo Alto Online

Council scales back library bond

by Don Kazak

ow, it will be up to the voters come Nov. 5.

The Palo Alto City Council voted unanimously Monday night to move ahead with a November bond measure for the Mitchell Park and Children's libraries, and agreed to remove the Palo Alto Art Center from the effort.

Instead, the council -- also voting unanimously -- agreed to try to find $5 million in city funds over the next several years to match a private $5 million fund-raising effort for the Art Center.

After hearing from its consultant a week ago that public support wasn't there for a more expensive bond measure in November, the council quickly agreed to a scaled-back effort.

The measure, at $48.7 million, may be more palatable to voters than the $96 million and $78 million measures first contemplated. But whether it will be palatable enough to get the necessary two-thirds margin for voter approval Nov. 5 is another question.

To that end, some key leaders of the library, arts, school and business communities signed on for the effort, promising they will be unified.

The proposal for the scaled-down bond measure was initiated by Council members Bern Beecham, Judy Kleinberg and Vice Mayor Dena Mossar. But it was also co-signed by 10 community members: Beth Bunnenberg, Gary Fazzino, Julie Jerome, Tina Kass, Lynn Torin, Carolyn Tucher, Shelby Valentine, Lanie Wheeler and Karen White.

Getting the broad support from the community was key for other council members to endorse the effort, at least preliminarily. The wording of the measure still must be drawn up by staff and presented to the council for approval on July 8.

For now, though, everyone is pulling in the same direction on an issue that just a week ago seemed dismaying at best.

"This proposal does pull together a community consensus for us," said Councilwoman Nancy Lytle.

Referring back to polls that showed a lack of necessary support for a larger bond issue, Councilwoman Hillary Freeman said that "it is important that this recommendation actually represents the will of the people. They have put together something that is palatable and achievable."

Councilman Jim Burch agreed to support the proposals, although he said he was disappointed the Art Center had been removed from the proposed ballot measure.

How the council reached its consensus also drew some comments. "The process of getting here hasn't been a good process," said Councilman Jack Morton. "We should have gotten here much sooner."

But Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto said that some things take time in Palo Alto. "This Palo Alto process, as convoluted as it was, has -- in its roundabout way -- worked."

The council is not leaving the Art Center out in the cold, however. Instead, a private effort will be made to raise $5 million for improvements there, and the City Council and City Manager Frank Benest both pledged to find $5 million in city matching funds over the next four years.

Actually, the number needed will be just $2.8 million because $2.2 million earmarked for library improvement funds won't be needed, assuming the bond measure passes Nov. 5.

But if the library bond measure doesn't pass Nov. 5, the city will have bigger problems than finding an additional $2.8 million for the Art Center.

"We believe it is now time to make a decision to put a bond measure on the ballot," Beecham said. He noted there are still some issues to be resolved, including the design of the proposed improvements at the Children's Library.

The city has until 90 days before the Nov. 5 election to finalize its ballot language and submit it to county election officials.

E-mail Don Kazak at dkazak@paweekly.com