Hearing tonight on Kaysville library

KAYSVILLE — A public hearing tonight could determine a library's fate.

The City Council is debating whether to join their small city library with the county's five branches. Council members need feedback from citizens and seem to be divided on the issue.

"After looking at the entire picture, what I see being best for Kaysville is the county system," council member Casey Hill said, noting that the short-term benefits are possibly an expanded or new building built by the county. The long-term benefits are the money it will save the city.

However, John McCleary, the council member who oversees the Kaysville library, sees a historic value in having the library remain with Kaysville, as it has for the past 70 years. He said there is no assurance that the county will build a new or renovated building, so he doesn't see a benefit in the change.

Library board chairman Bruce Allen agrees.

"I think that the county runs a good library system, but I think that we can do a better job for our citizens than they can do for our citizens," Allen said.

Allen is worried about a trust fund set up by Kay and Alan Blood that gives $20,000 a year to the library. Stipulations of the trust say that the money can only be used for the Kaysville library, and in the county system books are shared.

Hill believes the county will find a way to conform to the trust in order to use the money in the way it was intended.

Should the library change to county control, patrons will notice a difference in circulation policies, such as a change in checkout time and the number of books they are allowed to check out, said Paul Stokes, head librarian of the Kaysville City Library. Patrons would be able to check out books from the current five branches around the county as well.

Last year, Kaysville citizens voted against building a new city library. Since then, the city has researched the benefits of joining the Davis County library system. The Kaysville City Library is the last city library in the county.

County or city, Kaysville will keep a library, Hill said. Hill said the county assured the council that because of Kaysville's growing population there is no way they could spread use between the Layton and Farmington branches.

"They're not going to shut down Kaysville's branch. We wouldn't allow that type of thing to happen . . . I'd run away from that deal in a second," Hill said.

The hearing is at 7 p.m. in the Council Room of the Kaysville Municipal Center, 23 E. Center, Kaysville. The council will take public comment until June 30. Those unable to attend the meeting can file comment at kaysvillecity.com, or in person at the Kaysville city office.

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