Measure A: Library Tax Up for Renewal in June for Fairfax Voters

The Marin County Board of Supervisors has voted to place the renewal of a parcel tax on the June ballot to support the Marin County Free Library.

In 2010, 74 percent of voters approved $49 per parcel for five years. The funding, which equates to about $2.5 million annually for MCFL (about 15 percent of its budget), will end when the measure expires on June 30, 2015, unless voters decide to renew it.

MCFL serves the unincorporated areas of Marin as well as the City of Novato and the towns of Fairfax and Corte Madera. Only voters in those areas will receive ballots with the Measure A renewal. The parcel tax funding provides a critical part of the needed financial resources to keep our library system whole, to not reduce hours or close any branches. It also funds critical services to children that support their formal education and encourages them to become lifelong learners.

The passage of Measure A in 2010 has provided funds to maintain and enhance public library programs. Specifically, MCFL has been able to: 

• Increase service hours by 12 percent
• Increase youth borrowers by 24 percent
• Increase materials circulated by 26 percent

Measure A funding also has been used to make branches more accessible to people with disabilities and to implement modern, up-to-date technology for patrons.

“The parcel tax funding has provided a critical part of the needed financial resources to keep our library system whole to avoid reduced hours or closure of any of our branches,” Jones said. “It also has funded critical services to children that supported their formal education and encouraged them to become lifelong learners.”

Learn more about Measure A and the library budget at www.marinlibrary.org.