Proposed Ordinance Pushes Piedmont to Pay More for Libraries

A proposed ordinance could make Piedmont pay for library services at the same rate that Oakland does: $46.66 per capita per year.

While representatives from both cities over the current fiscal year’s payment and a new contract going forward, Oakland Councilwoman Libby Schaaf's proposal would amount to asking Piedmont to pay $524,485 annually for library services.

“It is only fair that other residents pay a similar rate to what Oakland residents pay,” said Schaaf.

That "fair share" would be one-and-a-half times what Piedmont has been paying in recent years. In April, Piedmont cut Oakland a to cover library services in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

The negotiations for a new library contract have stalled as Oakland is asking for an increase that is more than Piedmont is willing to pay.

For cities like Piedmont that already make use of Oakland libraries, Schaaf suggests the current payment be incrementally raised over the course of three years, until the third year when the full fee designated by her ordinance would be due.

“I tried to be sensitive to the fact that other cities are going through the same struggles that we are with their budgets,” said Schaaf.

But Schaaf said the proposal is also an effort to dispel a widespread fallacy among Piedmonters that they are "entitled to use Oakland libraries for free."

In order for residents to have public library access, a city has to operate its own library or another municipal or county system.

Schaaf asked that her proposal not been seen as an attack on Piedmonters.

“Piedmont residents are our biggest supporters with donations and volunteering,” she said. “We really value their participation.”

The proposal comes in the wake of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s worst-case scenario budget plan to close down 14 Oakland library branches, including Piedmont Avenue, Monclair and Lakeview, which are among those visit most.

Schaaf said it is a priority of hers to keep all the libraries open as is.

“Our library system is one of the gems of this city, and of the region,” she said.

Schaaf will present her proposal to the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee in mid-June.