New library referendum tests Fulton voters' will

Library bond referendums are normally a shoo-in at the polls. It is one of those "we got to have them" items that voters traditionally support. But that may not be the case this Nov. 4 when they go to the polls in Fulton County.

The hitch this time around is the $276 million as the bond tries to make up for years of benign neglect over the last 20 years since the last library bond. Coupled with the tremendous growth Fulton County has experienced in that time, library facilities have fallen far behind the needs of the people. Now the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Board of Trustees and the Fulton commissioners have agreed on a master plan that will build nine new libraries (three in North Fulton), fund renovations for 23 libraries and expand two more.

"Ever since I came here, Fulton County residents have talked of nothing but library needs - facilities needs," said John Szabo, AFPLS director. "We have areas of the county that are underserved and we have areas of the county, including North Fulton, that have no service at all."

Szabo says the library system needs to be expanded and modernized, and the best way to ensure the support of everyone is to bring the entire system up to par at one time.

"I have seen some incredible inadequacies in my tours around this county," he said. "I have seen 1,600-square-foot metal boxes that we are calling branches. They are really just kiosks. I have been in a converted funeral home that was supposed to be a temporary building. The children's book section was the stage where the viewings used to take place."

What this bond proposes is to address the needs of the system comprehensively. The staff conducted 37 public meetings across the breadth and depth of the county, issued surveys and questionnaires and then came up with a master plan. The library board sent it back to add more to it.

The $276 million bond will mean an increase of 0.317 mills. Kelly Robinson, public relations and marketing director for the library system, said for the average homeowner that translates to about $19 a year for the owner of a $150,000 home. The owner of a $300,000 home would pay an extra $38 annually.

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