City Council Looks to Discuss Next Steps for Withdrawal from Orange County Public Library
In tomorrow’s City Council meeting on July 23, 2024, a discussion and a vote is expected on whether to proceed with withdrawing from the Orange County Public Library (OCPL) system. Irvine’s contributions to OCPL amount to about $17 million annually, representing 28% of the system’s total revenue. Despite this, Irvine’s three libraries constitute only 11% of the system’s library space.
Councilmember Tammy Kim, who has been actively involved in this process, expressed her support for the withdrawal:
“Our local libraries in Irvine need to be improved massively, and I’m convinced that the best way forward will be through the negotiated withdrawal away from County. $9M per year in funding is enough to create a world-class library operation for Irvine, while the agreement allows the County library system to remain intact.”
Vice Mayor Larry Agran also highlighted the benefits of the transition:
“The transition will ensure the annual property tax revenue that Irvine residents pay for library services goes towards owning, managing, and operating a robust library system that serves our residents beyond what we experience today. I recommend establishing a Library Citizens Advisory Committee to help us envision and execute our investment.”
Community responses to the proposed withdrawal have been mixed. Some local members, expressing their views on platforms like Nextdoor, are concerned about potential job losses within the OCPL system and the negative impact on communities with fewer resources. They worry that these communities might suffer if Irvine’s significant financial support is withdrawn from the county system. On the other hand, supporters of the withdrawal argue that Irvine has not been receiving a fair return on its investment, citing insufficient improvements and outdated facilities despite the city’s substantial contributions.
Negotiations between Irvine and the county are ongoing, focusing on the allocation of funds that have accumulated over the years. The discussions at the upcoming council meeting will be crucial in determining the next steps for Irvine’s library system.
For more information, you can visit the City of Irvine’s official website or check local news updates.
1 Comments
Luis Huang
July 24, 2024 at 8:28 pmI think Irvine residents deserve to have more than 3 OCPL libraries. For a city with more than 300,000, I personally have witnessed a vibrant and active Public Library atmosphere (especially Heritage Library, a mere half a mile from my location.)
I wonder if instead of 3 OCPL locations, if Irvine residents could benefit from 6 OCPL, which would match Santa Ana’s 6 OCPL locations.
Just a thought.
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