While it is unclear what advantages will accrue to Renton residents if our library annexes to the King County Library System, one thing is very clear:

We would be voting for a significant increase in our taxes. Before you vote, compare your tax assessment to that of someone from Fairwood or other areas currently serviced by the KCLS. If you are a Renton Resident, in the section titled “Current Tax Distribution,” you will see that you pay $0 for our library (our support to the library comes from the city budget and is funded by the city tax. Our contribution to our library amounts to 26 cents per $1,000 evaluation). Passing this issue will not decrease our portion of the city tax. Passing this issue will include a new “library tax” amounting to 42 cents per $1,000 evaluation, or $126 on a $300,000 home. This money will go into a system already composed of 44 branches with no guarantee that it will be used in Renton. We would lose local control. Vote no!

Jim and Char Baker

Renton