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Show Still No Date For Layton Library By TOM BUSSELBERG Although the Layton Library Lib-rary Board received another "no" to requests for a definitive defini-tive schedule for a library in their city , they were applauded for attempts to discuss the issue and asked to keep communication com-munication channels open. THE CITY board was set up several months ago after the Layton City council opted to leave the county library system sys-tem that includes all but Kaysville. Kays-ville. It met with the commission commis-sion Monday evening in what appeared to be a desire on the part of board members to get some answers on when the city may receive its own library. Board Chairperson Oma Wilcox read a two-year-old letter let-ter from the city council asking that such a timetable be set up to help city officials determine if the city should stay in the system. That letter asked for a construction start by early next year at latest. THE COUNTY library board's plans originally followed fol-lowed such a schedule although budget overrides in jail construction were blamed as a major obstacle dashing such hopes. That meant setting a possible 1983 start for the library lib-rary by some backing the project pro-ject but such a date was not finalized, due to the current financial recession. Architectural Architec-tural drawings were presented early this year but have since sat "gathering dust." Toward the 90-minute meeting's meet-ing's end, Com. Chairman Ernest Eberhard said the city might have a better chance at a facility if it would "project a different image." HE SAID a "more functional" function-al" library with fewer of the "fabulous '70's" era features of the plans proposed earlier this year "probably would go a lot faster" at becoming a brick and mortar reality for the city of nearly 27,000 residents. It's hard for the commission to support a $3 million library, counting nearly $2 million for construction and $1 million for books and furnishings "when you sec the misery of people" asking for tax relief, Com. Eberhard added. The county library board has indicated it wants the system's headquar ters facility built in Layton, transforming the current Farmington center into a branch similar to those existing ex-isting in Clearfield and Bountiful. Boun-tiful. NOTING THE county library's lib-rary's budget of about $750,000, he said it would cost about a quarter million dollars a year to operate a library for Layton-double the current tax amount collected from those residents for the county system. The county library board has given the city council until Dec. 3 1 to decide if the city will rejoin the system. If it chooses to go it alone--and prospects looked that way based on Monday's meeting-the county coun-ty would stand to lose nearly one-fifth the library budget. COUNTY library staff have prepared various budget alter-natives alter-natives that could be implemented im-plemented if Layton stays out and unless the county mill levy is raised from its current 1.76 to at least 2.0, some staff and service cuts would be forthcoming. forth-coming. It could a'so mean one bookmobile vs. two for the entire en-tire county. Com. Eberhard said he would favor working out an agreement with Layton to continue con-tinue bookmobile service if the city stayed out of the system. About half the north Davis stops are in that community. EXPLAINING the constraints con-straints faced by the commission, commis-sion, Com. Glen Saunders, who sits on the library board, said, "We are dealing with 53 or 54 different budgets (for county agencies). The majority major-ity of these are mandated by the state legislature. We have been under extreme pressure to increase staff. Our employees em-ployees are carrying a much heavier load than in other counties." Due to the budget crunch that the commissioners said included in-cluded not knowing where to find $300,000 to fill mandated needs, a "no hire" policy has been implemented. MR3. WILCOX raised arguments argu-ments that have surfaced before be-fore favoring a Layton library, enumerating the city's status as the county's second largest city (only five or six thousand behind Bountiful and growing), grow-ing), a hard-to-reach library (the north branch in Clearfield). Clear-field). But as Com. Eberhard explained, ex-plained, the county faces an ever-decreasing tax load as cities annex unincorporated areas and further loss of revenue re-venue through redevelopment projects in Bountiful and Kaysville taking away possible possi-ble taxable dollars. "All of these things are coming at us. Our growth has stopped. We're just cut off. People aren't building homes or expanding ex-panding businesses." HE SAID the current county commission isn't bound by what a prior such body may have done but added a new library lib-rary would be possible if growth stood at an annual rate of 10-12 percent, as existed when he took office about two years. The growth rate now stands at about four percent, tax officials indicate. Com. Harry Gerlach Sr. echoed those statistics and said current revenues cover only about 40 percent of county coun-ty government needs while the commission noted revenue sharing funds to the tune of $ I million may be stripped as well by the Reagan administration. ALTHOUGH some Layton residents feel they want a library, lib-rary, other cities, such as Cen-terville, Cen-terville, may push for a library if Layton gets a facility, the Layton group was told, with Com. Eberhard indicating residents re-sidents from Centerville, Woods Cross. West Bountiful and other areas have to drive as far or farther than Layton residents to reach a library. Some county residents are pressing for a multi-faceted park, as well, to include a county fairgrounds and equestrian eques-trian (horse) areas, for instance, inst-ance, he said, noting a need aI.o for additional storm water runoff facilities badly needed as new construction erases more and more runoff area along with a need for a west valley highway that would largely benefit commercial growth in north Davis. THE LAYTON group was to provide input to the city council coun-cil with any future action in their hands. |