Kane: Giving context to Ballot Measure 7B

As a member of Basalt Regional Library District’s board, I am writing to give context to the Library’s Ballot Measure 7B that is on current ballots in the library district.

In the 1980s, Pitkin and Eagle county commissioners designed a mid-valley library district centered in Basalt and extending to Old Snowmass, Blue Lake, Missouri Heights, and up the Fryingpan. Voters approved that district, and the library that was built in 2010 now serves as both a library and a welcoming community hub.

The library board has recently paid $650,000 to restore the roof, and it has retired its bond debt (for library construction) a year early by paying $1.67 million to cover the last two years’ payments. These actions give the library less “cushion” to maintain future services. Without additional funding, 2026 reserves drop to 46% (under the recommended 50%) and to 24% in 2028.

The library is now asking voters to approve a 1.08 mill levy extension to maintain essential services. This works out to $67 (or $5.60/month) per $1 million dollars of assessed home value. The ask is not a great impact to one’s lifestyle. But it means everything to the library, which will use that money to:

1. Offer competitive wages to pay qualified staff in our high-cost region
2. Maintain and repair our 20-year-old building
3. Keep collections, technology, and digital resources current
4. Support diverse programming — from concerts and lectures to story times
5. Maintain convenient open hours, seven days a week

The 1.08 mill levy represents a ceiling, not a fixed annual rate — collecting only what is needed to sustain operations and attain financial stability through future economic changes. The past has seen a major recession and a pandemic; the future may not assure automatic economic growth. 

Our goal: to ensure our library remains a well-maintained, welcoming, fully-staffed, beloved resource for the entire community for years to come — in perpetuity! Vote “yes” on 7B!

Carolyn Kane

Basalt