Durango, CO: At Tuesday’s study session Durango City Council will be presented with a timeline that could see a Durango Public Library District ballot option as soon as April 2024.
City staff will recommend the formation of an issues committee that could then pursue a petition process.
"We believe that the formation of this committee is a critical step in the process of establishing a library district,” said Durango Public Library Director Luke Alvey-Henderson. “We are eager to work with City Council and the County Commission to move forward with the petition process and determine the next steps in this process."
The petition process would require the signatures of 100 registered electors residing in the district's egal service area. La Plata County Board of Commissioners have unanimously recommended the petition option.
Alternate options were considered, such as continuing services at the same or similar levels or pursuing a foundation-based model. Neither option was deemed feasible based on the “2021 Public Advisory Group Financial Analysis of the Durango Public Library”, which showed a lack of available city funding and legal hurdles associated with the foundation model.
Next steps include working with the county to form an issues committee in April and settling on an agreed upon ballot sometime in May.
If a mill rate of 3.65% were successfully implemented through a ballot initiative, the Durango Public Library would receive an estimated $5,036,275 in first year revenues. The library is currently funded through a joint sales tax collected by the city and county and serves approximately 380,000 patrons each year.
For more information on a potential library district, go to the city’s website.
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Media Contact
Tom Sluis
Public Information Officer - Spokesman
Phone: (970) 375-5090
Email: Tom.Sluis@durangogov.org
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