Politics & Government

Should Sonoma County Libraries Expand Their Hours? How?

Public libraries in Sonoma County are closed every Sunday and Monday because of budget cuts.

It's Monday again, which means Sonoma County libraries are closed

It's the byproduct of a tight budget, and some residents want the cuts restored. According to a report in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the county library commission last week received a petition signed by 1,825 people demanding those hours back.

Ideas floated to bridge the funding gap included using reserves, asking the county board of supervisors for more money or using funds from other library departments, according to the Press Democrat.

"I am not happy with the library being closed on Monday, either,” the publication quoted Library Commission Chair Tim May as saying. “But I also know that we have had to make decisions with limited funds.”

The agreement that created the multiple-jurisdiction agency that oversees the library system is being revamped, and "should give future commissions more ways to generate funds, including through ballot measures," the Press Democrat reported.

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What do you think? Would you like to see Sonoma County libraries reopen on Mondays? How should the system get the funding to do so?


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