The city of Española will ask voters in the March 2 municipal election to approve a $6.1 million bond measure to build and furnish a new public library.
If the measure is approved, the city plans to sell bonds up to that amount to build a new, 16,000-square-foot library on a city-owned lot behind the Bond House museum, at the corner of Hill Street and Calle Don Diego. The Española Library moved into its 5,000-square-foot location near City Hall in 1974, supposedly on a temporary basis.
The new library would likely include a reading room for teens, a community meeting room and a culture and history section, according to architect Julie Walleisa of the firm Dekker Perich Sabbatini, which the city hired to select the new library site and develop a preliminary design.
The city would repay the bond over a 20-year period with a property tax increase of about $2.30 to $2.90 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value, according to information provided by the George K. Baum and Company firm, which the city hired to manage the bond. A property’s taxable value is about one third of its market value as determined by county assessors. The bond would increase taxes on a $150,000 property by an estimated $115 to $145 a year, according to a George K. Baum handout.
“If they pass this thing, they’re going to drown me in taxes,” David J. Salazar, the husband of District 2 Councilor Helen Kain-Salazar, said.
Salazar said he made 12 signs opposing the bond and posted them throughout town. Kain-Salazar is one of the few councilors and Council candidates who have taken a decisive stand on the bond measure.
“We have a swimming pool that needs renovation,” Kain-Salazar said. “We have a gym that needs painting and new exercise equipment. We have ball fields in the back that need to be redone. I feel they went about it the wrong way, hitting property owners. It’s going to take 20 years to pay back. I might be dead and I’ll never see the library, and my kids and grand-kids will continue to pay.”
Kain-Salazar, who was among seven councilors who voted in favor of holding the bond election CHECK, said Mayor Joseph Maestas shoved the measure past the Council.
“It sounds to me like someone is looking for a legacy,” she said.
Maestas, who has been a vocal proponent of the library, did not return calls for comment. District 2 Councilor Alfred Herrera, who is running to replace Maestas, said he supports a new library but opposes the bond.
“I want to be real clear about this — I’m not against the library,” Herrera said. “I’m just against the funding portion of it. I’d be more inclined to look at other alternatives, such as grants, private donations and collaborative efforts.”
Herrera’s opponent, Alice Lucero, declined to state her position on the bond measure or the library, arguing she doesn’t want it to become a mayoral campaign issue. Both Herrera and Lucero said they would honor voters’ wishes if they’re elected.
District 1 candidate Pedro Valdez also opposes the bond because voters can’t afford new taxes, he said. His opponent, District 1 incumbent Danielle Duran, declined to explicitly state her position on the bond measure, but suggested she favors it.
“My sister’s on the Library Board, so you can guess from that where I stand on it,” Duran said. “I’m not telling people to vote for or against it, but most voters I’ve talked to who do care about the bond issue are in favor. They think a new library is a huge deal for Española, that it’s long-overdue.”
District 2 candidate Greg Ortega said he understands Española needs a new library, but binding the city to $6 million in debt makes him uneasy.
“If the voters decide that’s what they want, then great, let’s do it,” Ortega said. “Otherwise, I think we should evaluate our priorities and maybe seek some other types of funding.”