Residents in Winlock appear to have voted to annex the Timberland Regional Library, with preliminary numbers showing an approval rate slightly above 70 percent.
With 195 votes in all, 138 voters approved of the annexation.
The decision means library services would be paid for by taxpayers. Although the library has served the city since its inception, the city paid for the contract services from Timberland, paying approximately $30,000 a year from the general budget.
By annexing the library, the taxpayers would directly fund the library. The city owns the building the library uses on a contract basis, and according to Communications Manager for Timberland Regional Library Jeff Kleingartner, Winlock is one of two city districts that hasn’t annexed. In all there are 19 city districts.
If the annexation is approved, the city would still maintain the building and pay for the upkeep. The biggest change is the library would no longer be paid for through the city’s general budget, the responsibility being shifted over to the taxpayers.
Kleingartner said the annexation may also provide a stronger sense of consistency to the community.
“If it came down the road that the city could not afford to continue having a library, and the city couldn’t pay that contract fee, that would be a problem,” he said, “but when you are annexed it’s not a city concern anymore. It gives a stronger consistency that the library will be here to stay.”
The certification date for the election is Nov. 25.
