Ballot Question 2C isn’t really about books, but aren’t books beautiful? The ballot measure would make technical fixes to the City Charter if the Library District ballot measure passes.
City of Boulder Ballot Question 2C, at its simplest, would amend the Boulder City Charter to remove language about the existing Boulder Public Library system, but only if the Library District ballot Measure 6C passes in 2022. If the Library District measure passes, it would establish a new governance system for the Boulder Public Library system, and the old City system would no longer be necessary. Question 2C would pass with a simple majority.
Currently, the Boulder Public Library system has a city-funded and city-governed Department of Library and Arts, along with a citizen Library Commission for oversight of the Department. Under Question 2C, the Charter sections listed below would be repealed or amended, because the library system would no longer be bound by the city governance structure if the Library District passes.
I’ve condensed below what would happen to each Charter section if Question 2C passes, hopefully for the reader’s simplicity. In my opinion, it’s really all most people would need to know before voting. Still, you could read the entire measure at this link if you’d like absolute certainty.
- Section 69: 2C would repeal this section, which created a city department of library and arts years ago, along with a director’s position. The director is considered the “technical advisor of the Library Commission.”
- Section 65: Removes the Department of Library and Arts from a list of other city administrative departments.
- Section 102: Amends this section, to take the City library system out of the section allowing Council to transfer unused departmental funds to other uses.
- Section 130: Amends this section, to take the Library Commission out of the section describing general characteristics of city commissions – such as number of members, desired demographic composition, terms, and how to fill vacancies.
- Section 132: Repeals the section that established the Library Commission.
- Section 133: Repeals the section describing the duties and powers of the Library Commission.
- Section 134: Repeals the section describing the existing Library Fund and how it’s funded. This includes striking a line about a current 1/3 mill property tax designated for the Library Fund, which though what’s to follow here isn’t written in 2C, would be replaced with a 3.5 mill property tax if the Library District Measure 6C passes.
Richard’s Take
Vote YES. This ballot measure would simply update the Charter to reflect new realities if the Library District ballot measure passes. It’s completely made up of technical updates to the Charter, mostly deleting language that would no longer be necessary if 6C passes. Also, both the ballot title and the ballot measure text say expressly that 2C is dependent on the measure on the ballot in 2022.
Question 2C has nothing to do with whether or not anyone likes the Library District idea, or at least it shouldn’t. If the Library District ballot measure fails, none of the sections from Ballot Question 2C would go into effect. But if the Library District measure passes and 2C is defeated, there would be conflicting language in the Charter, and the City would more than likely need to run another ballot measure to rectify the existence of a City library structure in our laws and a separate Library District established under a new ballot measure. It takes a vote of the people to amend our Charter, so I highly encourage voting YES on 2C to avoid another future election if 6C passes, doing probably exactly the same thing 2C would have done.
If 6C fails, but proponents try again and win, there might be a need for a future measure possibly exactly the same as 2C. But we’ll cross that bridge if we reach it.
