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Dissatisfied with the way Seattle spends taxpayers' money, a citizens group is collecting signatures to put an alternative library-facilities proposal on the November 3 ballot. The initiative would build or upgrade 25 branches and the downtown library, but unlike the plan backed by City Librarian Deborah Jacobs and Mayor Paul Schell, it would be financed by money borrowed by the city rather than property-tax bonds. The alternative proposal would cost $160 million, some $80 million less than the city's plan.
The group, called Back to Basics, has until September 16 to collect 18,830 signatures, 10% of the voters in last year's mayoral race, according to the June 10 Seattle Times.
The city's "Libraries for All" plan, adopted by the city council last month, includes a $196.4-million bond measure that will also be on the fall ballot. Council President Sue Donaldson told the Times that the alternative plan was unrealistic and could confuse voters.
Posted June 15, 1998.
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