It’s hard to know where to start with Royce Meyerott’s many misrepresentations in his Argument Against the San Juan Island Library’s levy lid lift (Proposition No. 1) in the current Voters’ Pamphlet. He sounds preoccupied with the new library building project, which is not even on the ballot. That project is on hiatus until the library has sought more input from the community.

This proposed levy lid lift on the August 6 ballot is exclusively about sustaining our current library. The math is simply this: The 1%-increase in the library’s annual levy has NEVER kept up with the rate of inflation and won’t going forward unless inflation is 1% or less. Without occasional levy adjustments, the library’s revenues will be outpaced by inflation every year, leading to decreases in service levels year after year. A levy lid lift allows the library to initially save extra revenue and spend it when inflation outpaces revenue. It’s a necessary cycle to support a heavily-used library that contributes so much to our amazing community.

One last point: The yard signs that Meyerott paid for and posted around the community against the levy lid lift are not only misleading but distasteful. They are trying to evoke an emotional reaction stemming from the previous bond election by using similar numbers as before, thereby confusing the proposed levy lid lift with the building project.

This levy is not that bond.

Please vote YES on August 6 to sustain operations and maintenance of our current library!

David Dehlendorf

San Juan Island