Library Buildings For Sale?

The Tacoma Weekly reported recently on a Tacoma Public Library Board of Trustees discussion regarding selling closed library branch buildings.

Libraries saw $200,000 in cuts, two branch closures, and many layoffs last year, and are looking for ways to prevent further cuts. Maintaining the buildings that housed the two closed branches is costing the library system $15,000 annually, so their sale seems like a good place to start. There is, however, uncertainty over whether any proceeds from the sales would go to the library system. The City owns the buildings, but the library system is responsible for their maintenance. The question of where proceeds from the sales could go is complicated by the fact that funding for their construction came originally in part from the City’s General Fund and the Community Development Block Grant Fund.

The Library Board has tabled the issue for now, but considering our current budget situation, it’s fair to say this probably won’t be the last we hear on the matter. It will take a while to sort out questions of where the money will go, and it sounds like we can expect public hearings on how any profits would be spent. Stay tuned.

Have you visited your local library lately?

Read the full story from The Tacoma Weekly.