Backers hope to shoot for 2010 election instead

By Cathy Ingalls

Albany Democrat-Herald

Lead proponents of a countywide library taxing district have canceled their plans to launch a signature drive to put the proposal on the November general election ballot.

Instead, organizers will try for a date in 2010, said Linda Ziedrich, co-chair of the Linn Library League. State law requires that elections to form districts be held in even-numbered years.

Although most city councils in Linn County approved their cities' inclusion in a library district if passed by voters, Ziedrich told the Democrat-

Herald in an e-mail, "Unfortunately at this point we simply don't have enough time to work to get the measure on the November 2008 ballot."

For the past five years, the league has pushed for a district to raise money to expand library services primarily to people in the rural parts of the county and to those who use smaller libraries.

Kitty Buchner, a campaign volunteer, said time was not the only issue.

"We were disappointed with the results of the vote of the Albany City Council," she said. "Councilors did very reluctantly agree to allow us on the ballot, but they made it very clear that they did not support the idea of a library district."

Also, she said, the supporters don't think they can launch a successful drive without an agreement by Albany to "underlevy" or lower the city tax rate by the amount the district would raise it.

Buchner said the league is a small organization and was not prepared to run an uphill political campaign in the largest city of the proposed district.

The decision to postpone the campaign was made a few days after the Albany council vote on Feb. 27. The Democrat-Herald learned of the decision Wednesday while asking Ziedrich about a related district matter.

Mayor Dan Bedore said the league's decision "is probably a good choice at this point. It didn't appear to me that an election would be successful. Without an underlevy, it would be a tough sell to the voters."

The resolution passed by the Albany council to become part of a district stands unless this council or another council votes differently, City Manager Wes Hare said.

The resolution remains in place because no election date was mentioned.

Ziedrich said the league will hold its first organizational meeting for the 2010 election in the fall.