San Rafael initiative for new library, community center heads to council

San Rafael residents could vote in November on whether to tax themselves to support the construction of a new city library and community center at Albert Park.

A group seeking a ballot initiative for a 30-year parcel tax received a letter from city and county officials this week certifying that its petition collected 3,773 verified signatures in support of the effort.

City staff said Wednesday that the petition results are expected to be presented to the City Council at a meeting in June. That’s when the council will consider calling an election to place a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.

“After 20 years of working on this, we think we finally have a good plan and good support for getting this on the ballot,” said Joe O’Hehir, a board member of the San Rafael Public Library Foundation and chair of the initiative committee.

O’Hehir said his organization was formed in 2004 to look for a way to expand the historic downtown Carnegie library at 1100 E St. next to City Hall. Over the years, the foundation has collaborated with the library board of trustees, the Friends of the San Rafael Public Library and city officials to make plans.

“This is a citizens’ initiative, so what we’re basically saying here is this is what the community wants,” O’Hehir said.

The initiative is seeking an annual parcel tax collecting 14.5 cents, or $0.145, per square foot of “improved building area” and $75 per vacant lot.

For example, the owners of a 2,000-square-foot home would pay $290 annually.

The tax would last 30 years or “so long as bonds for the planning and construction of a new library and community center remain outstanding requiring debt service payments, whichever is longer,” the initiative says.

Homeowners 65 and older would be eligible to apply for exemption.

Funds must be used for the planning and construction of a new library and community center at Albert Park on B Street, the site of a community center. Funds could also be used for upgrades to the city’s other branches.

The plan would involve moving the city’s main library operations into the new site from the downtown library. The initiative would require the city to prepare a plan for the preservation and reuse of the vacated space.

The downtown library was constructed in 1909 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, the early 20th-century philanthropist who helped fund libraries across the country.

The downtown library is about 12,500 square feet.

In 2006, the city established the Pickleweed Library, which is housed in the same building as the Albert J. Boro Community Center at 50 Canal St. The branch is about 3,000 square feet.

In 2018, the library system expanded with a satellite branch at the Northgate mall in Terra Linda, adding another 2,000 square feet of library space in the city.

In all, San Rafael offers about 17,500 square feet of library. A recent analysis determined that San Rafael needs about 45,000 to 50,000 square feet of library space to meet the demand today.

Last year, city staff said it would cost about $50 million to $60 million for a 27,000-square-foot remodel of the downtown library. Their analysis said it would be about $70 million to $85 million to build a 26,000-square-foot library with a 17,700-square-foot community center at Albert Park.

“Currently, our library doesn’t have enough room to meet the community demands for programming, community gatherings, or new services,” said John Stefanski, assistant city manager.

“A new library and community center would allow us to offer more modern and robust services, becoming a hub for activities and programs for all ages,” he said. “Although the current location is cherished, it is aging and presents significant challenges for any future expansion.”

Kingston Cole, a San Rafael resident and member of the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, or COST, a watchdog group, said he is a fan of the downtown library and agrees it needs to be updated.

“But this isn’t the way to do it,” Cole said.

COST opposes the initiative because the method lowers the threshold needed for approval from a two-thirds vote to a simple majority, he said. Cole said a tax this great for so long deserves buy-in from at least two-thirds of the voters.

“I love the library, I really do, and if they had to do a two-thirds vote, I think they would get it,” Cole said.

According to financial statements filed with the city, the initiative effort has received $101,033 in contributions this calendar year. That includes $89,313 from the San Rafael Public Library Foundation.

Statements show that the foundation has received four contributions from the estate of William Schwarzer amounting to $72,313 this year through March 31. The filing says more than $174,600 has been donated to the foundation from the same trust. The foundation also received a $7,000 contribution from unnamed individuals from Wells Fargo Advisors.

“This is big money, which tells me that this wasn’t a true citizens’ initiative,” Cole said.

In response, O’Hehir said there has been no major donation made specifically toward the campaign. The largest contribution toward the campaign is from the foundation itself.

The law firm Nielsen Merksamer, which specializes in referendums and initiatives, has been paid $11,765 for services, according to financial statements. Olson Petition Management LLC was paid $75,000 for signature gathering.

Cole said at that rate, it cost about $20 a signature.

“This is a professional operation,” Cole said. “If you want to do a citizens’ initiative, involve the citizens by having them do the petition, not this way.”

O’Hehir said it’s normal for committees to enlist professionals to help draft initiatives and collect signatures.

“This is to make sure everything is correct and legal,” O’Hehir said. “It ensures the fidelity.”

More information on the initiative is at revitalizesanrafael.org.