Dear Editor:
The Colusa County Free Library has been a valuable community asset for more than 100 years. During my nearly 10 years as Colusa County Administrator, I saw firsthand the challenges of maintaining stable funding for the library while balancing the County’s many competing financial obligations.
Although the County’s funding for the library may have remained at “status quo” levels or even increased in some years, rising operating costs meant that the same funding did not provide the same level of service. Over time, staffing and service hours were reduced as the County worked to manage limited General Fund resources.
Those financial challenges became significantly greater in 2021–22, when a State Controller’s Office audit identified errors in the County’s allocation of property-tax revenues from certain qualified electric utility property. Correcting the allocation resulted in a permanent reduction of approximately $1.7 million annually in property tax revenue available to the County’s General Fund. This was not a one-time loss; it became an ongoing reduction in the resources available to fund County services.
To help maintain library services while a more sustainable funding solution was explored, two other County departments, Behavioral Health and Health and Human Services, provided temporary funding. However, subsequent legislative changes at the State and Federal levels no longer allow the same funding flexibility from those departments, and that funding has since ceased. The library has also pursued grants and relied on community and nonprofit donations to supplement its available resources.
The purpose of this letter is simply to provide some historical and financial context regarding the challenges surrounding library funding and the circumstances that led to consideration of a dedicated funding source.
Sincerely,
Wendy Tyler, Colusa, CA
Former Colusa County Administrator
285 Words