Hurdles may be too much for consolidation of libraries

Diana Sahagun

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2000 | 10:55 a.m.

Political hurdles may trip up the efforts of the North Las Vegas Library to become part of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.

In the first joint meeting in memory, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library Board crossed into North Las Vegas territory Tuesday to discuss a merger.

While the county district has previously touted the benefits of consolidation, this time around the focus was on hurdles that would have to be overcome.

For the most part, both boards appeared to be overwhelmed by the obstacles spelled out by Daniel Walters, director of the county district.

Following the two-hour meeting, board members on both sides admitted that consolidation doesn't appear to be the right fit.

The North Las Vegas Library Board is scheduled to take up the question at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the North Las Vegas Library. Las Vegas-Clark County Library Board trustees are expected to discuss the issue at 6 p.m. Thursday.

All signs, though, point to the end of talks of consolidation.

For years the North Las Vegas district has been weighing its options to build more libraries in the city that has only one facility for more than 117,000 residents. A bond issue failed in 1995. Consolidation has been the most heated solution, with residents and officials arguing over whether to give up local control.

Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, has led the fight against consolidation, charging that North Las Vegas needs to remain independent and look elsewhere for help. Walters said political obstacles and the tremendous amount of opposition may be impossible to get past.

"Strong advocates for local control create real political hurdles," he said.

Walters also spoke of a perceived "Us vs. Them" mentality coming from both boards, with some seeing the Las Vegas-Clark County district as the "big giant" that would swallow up North Las Vegas.

North Las Vegas library trustees -- City Council members Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith and Mayor Michael Montandon -- all agreed that consolidation does not appear to be the right solution.

County library Trustee Ricki Barlow agreed.

"It doesn't seem to be a good fit for consolidation," he said. "I don't think this is the right thing to take place right now."

One issue is the status of a number of North Las Vegas Library employees represented by Teamsters Local 14, who earn higher wages and receive better benefits than their Las Vegas-Clark County counterparts.

Robert Johnson, president of Teamsters Local 14, and Greg Mauger, secretary/treasurer for the union, said North Las Vegas employees oppose consolidation because it will put their jobs and salaries at risk.

"(North Las Vegas) employees would be the low man on the totem pole," Mauger said. "This would have a severe negative impact on employees."

Another is cost. Walters said the county district would have to float a bond to fund more libraries. If North Las Vegas were included in a $70 million countywide bond issue, it is estimated that residents' taxes would increase by 5 cents per $100,000 assessed value.

Montandon said that if either way the city's residents would pay more taxes, then the city might as well float its own bond.

"A library may end up costing us the same, even if we do consolidate," he said. "There's no free library."

Buck said she is not willing to pay the price if the districts were to merge.

"If a bond is going to cost us the same, I'm not going to give up our control," she said.

And it may not matter to library patrons.

Patrons are not affected by boundary lines but use libraries that are most convenient, Walters said. The libraries decades ago entered an agreement that allows patrons of any district to check out books in any library in the Las Vegas Valley.

North Las Vegas residents check out 17,000 books per month at Las Vegas-Clark County libraries, he said.

Ironically, most of the books are checked out in Las Vegas-Clark County libraries by North Las Vegas residents who live in ZIP codes near the existing North Las Vegas Library.

"Our customers don't know there are two different jurisdictions," Walters said. "They go wherever is convenient. For the customer it seems we've already consolidated."