There’s no denying Seattle is a famously bookish place, known internationally for its love of literature. Such a city absolutely deserves a world class library system. And that, we have.
The question before voters in August will be how much they are willing to pay to support it because the city stopped fully funding its libraries in 2012. Since then, taxpayers have shouldered roughly a third of library operations through levies, which have quadrupled in the last 14 years.
Broadly speaking, this policy change puts the library in a difficult spot. But the current City Council has not helped matters. Its irresponsible spending habits have brought Seattle to a deeply uncomfortable place.
Here’s the situation: The upcoming ballot will ask voters to approve $479 million for the Seattle Public Library system, to help cover expanded hours, improved and digitized collections, updated technology and cybersecurity, and maintenance — including seismic retrofitting for neighborhood branches, some of which are 100 years old.
Worthy expenditures, all. If voters approve this amount, the owner of a home assessed at Seattle’s median of $872,000 would pay $193 in annual property taxes for this levy.
But it’s not that simple.
There are important factors to consider, beyond the desirability of bolstered library services or whether an additional $193 is within your budget. Namely, if this levy passes as proposed, it will leave the city with severely curtailed abilities to ask voters for any other funding — even as additional priorities loom, like improvements to the Seattle Center and Pike Place Market.
A bit of backstory: The $479 million library levy on August’s ballot is more than double the $219 million approved by voters seven years ago — even though the inflation rate since 2019 has not doubled (it’s up by 31%).
The levy is also significantly larger than an earlier version, for $410 million, proposed by Mayor Katie Wilson, which included money to offset inflation and library funding cuts in the city’s budget, as well as extra for retrofitting the Columbia City branch.
That was not enough for City Council members. They wanted money added in for specialists who can refer patrons to social services; improved elevator access; more e- and audio books; and seismic repairs at multiple branches. That wish list ballooned the levy by another $69 million.
Voters here are generous. In the last three years they have approved the largest property tax increases in the city’s history, funding education, transportation and housing. But it’s fair to ask, how much more can they take?
At least as important: How much do they want to hamper the city’s ability to raise money for future priorities? Currently, the total property tax hit for Seattle residents is $3.02 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. If the library levy passes as proposed, it would bring that rate up to $3.14 per $1,000. Legally, the city cannot go above $3.60, so that doesn’t leave much wiggle room.
This editorial board treasures libraries. We also fear painting the city into an impossible corner. With both factors in mind, we cannot endorse this version of the library levy. Voters may make a different choice.
If voters turn it down, the City Council could put the more frugal, $410 million plan on the ballot early next year. That feels appropriate for these times, when affordability is the watchword for regular folks and for cities, too.
