Atlanta-Fulton Voters Approve Library Bond Issue, Including New Central Library
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 11/05/2008
- 65 percent vote
- Eight new libraries, two expanded, 23 renovated
- $85 million toward new Central Library
Despite a newspaper editorial urging a "no" vote, 65 percent of voters in Atlanta–Fulton County yesterday approved a $275 million bond referendum that would fund eight new libraries in the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, two expanded libraries, and 23 renovated libraries, plus $85 million toward a new Central Library. It will be the largest library building program in state history; the last library bond in Fulton County was in 1985, for $38 million.
The number of libraries in the plan remains at 34 libraries; the library system will eliminate leased spaces and its oldest libraries. Those owning a $150,000 home will see a library tax increase of $18.96 per year; those owning a $300,000 home will pay $37.92 per year.
“This vote affirms the value people place on their public libraries and their understanding of what libraries provide, especially in challenging economic times. This is a tremendous day for the children of Fulton County, particularly those served by severely inadequate facilities or no facilities at all,” said John F. Szabo, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Director.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had opposed the library bond, noting that additional funds for a Central Library were not in the library's master plan but had been added by the Fulton County Commission. The newspaper argued that private fundraising for the additional $85 million or so needed to build the new facility “seems exceedingly unlikely, especially with the economy turning sour." Voters apparently disagreed.
