To the editor:
The future of Tillamook County’s libraries will be on the May ballot. Make no mistake: if the proposed library levy – measure 29-146 – does not pass our libraries will close. That would be nothing short of a tragedy.
The proposed levy will continue funding at the existing rate, with no increase in taxes, for library operations in Tillamook, Manzanita, Bay City, Garibaldi, Pacific City and Rockaway Beach, as well as the Bookmobile. Literally thousands of people use our libraries every month and we must make sure this valuable resource continues into the future.
Our county library system, staffed by dedicated team of librarians, provides a vast array of services for the people of Tillamook County – Internet access, books, magazines, newspapers, children and adult programs, research assistance, interlibrary loans. The list goes on and on. Our libraries offer reading programs to help students and adults and the Bookmobile visits senior centers and those who can’t readily visit a library location. Children’s reading programs alone had nearly 6,000 individual participants last year.
Additionally libraries help create community and support the economy by providing resources for job seekers, facilities for meetings and access to tremendous amounts of credible, factual information.
I respectfully urge all Tillamook County voters to endorse the library levy on the May ballot. The county’s libraries are a critical resource for all of us and without an affirmative vote we’ll lose a vital piece of our communities that will be impossible to replace.
Vote “Yes” for our libraries.
Sincerely,
Marc C. Johnson
Manzanita
