City Council Will Say 'Yes' to Oakland's Library Offer

The City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday it was prepared to pay Oakland $350,471 for the use of its public library during the 2010-2011 fiscal year that just ended. Council also said that it would accept Oakland's offer to provide library services at the same price for the current year so long as the branches frequented by Piedmont residents, with the exception of the endangered Piedmont Avenue branch, stay open. 

"I am very excited about this news," outgoing Piedmont League of Women Voters president and library advocate Tamra Hege told the council.

During negotiations lasting more than a year, cash-strapped Oakland had suggested, based on what it puts in per capita, that Piedmont pay upwards of $500,000.

"I don't think this was easy for Oakland with the current mayor to back off on what they had asked for, which was parity. ... This is not parity, ... but it is $350,000 that they wouldn't have if we didn't pay," Hege said.

But, should the Piedmont Avenue branch close, Councilman Jeff Wieler didn't think $350,471 was such a good deal. He wants a provision in the agreement stipulating that the fee would be reduced based on the portion of Piedmont library patrons that a closed branch served.

If registration numbers provided by the Oakland Public Library are any indication, only the popular Rockridge branch rivals Piedmont Avenue in terms of use by Piedmonters. The Main Library is a distant third with 17 percent of Piedmont patrons having signed up for their library cards there. 29 percent signed up at Rockridge, 27 percent at Piedmont Avenue.

"If they take away something which is used by that many residents I have a problem with paying them $350,000," Wieler said, before casting the lone dissenting vote against the 2011-2012 fee concept (Councilwoman Margaret Fujioka recused herself as an employee of the City of Oakland).

Though Oakland just passed a city budget that keeps all library branches open for the time being, the Piedmont Avenue branch will shut down Oct. 31 if it can't find a new home. The new landlord, who is a Piedmont resident, raised the rent from $1 to $4,250 last year. Since then the library has been trying to secure a spot for a modular structure to house the branch in the Key Route Plaza or Piedmont Avenue Elementary School parking lot, so far to no avail.

City Administrator Geoff Grote figured the branch is all but doomed and that therefore Oakland couldn't make a deal guaranteeing it would stay open. He assumed the Rockridge and Montclair branches could fill in the gap for Piedmont Avenue regulars.

Councilman Garrett Keating agreed that accepting the likely closure of the branch was a fair concession considering the ground Oakland gave up with its offer to hold the charge for library services where its been since 2008.

Grote said Piedmont will now send Oakland a formal response to its offer. He hopes to put a library services agreement before the Piedmont City Council for final approval in August.