City officials in Bee Cave have announced that a new 18,500-square-foot library building will appear on the city’s Nov. 4 special election ballot for voter approval.
The overview
The library, along with the recently approved public safety building, is one of several projects listed in the city’s 2021 Capital Improvement Plan.
If approved, the new building will be constructed on a city-owned piece of property known as the Skaggs Tract, which is situated between Tordera Drive and Skaggs Drive next to HCI Sports & Fitness, and which will replace the library’s current location in City Hall.
In accordance with Proposition G, passed by Bee Cave voters last November, the library must first be put to a public vote before construction can proceed.
The details
The building was initially proposed to be constructed on the city’s Revival tract but was later moved to the Skaggs property.
Originally proposed as a two-story building, the library has now been reduced to one story, and square footage overall has decreased, City Manager Julie Oakley said.
“There is quite a bit of square [footage] that has been cut out of the library in order to stay within budget, and the square [footage] is now down to 18,500," Oakley said.
Plans for the library include a multipurpose room located in the front of the library for community programming, Oakley said.
City officials discussed including a book drop-off box at the library, though plans were not solidified. Council member Andrea Willott suggested that the city’s Old Bee Cave Schoolhouse could potentially be relocated onto the library’s property, as well as the Bee Cave Arts Foundation Sculpture Park.
Funding
In the special election, voters will also be asked to approve funding for the library.
Proposition B on the ballot would authorize the issuance of $19.98 million in general obligation bonds for library funding, according to city documents. It would also authorize the city to levy a tax to pay for those bonds, Oakley said.
“We are a very blessed city in that we operate every year on a substantial surplus of sales tax over our expenditures in the general fund,” Oakley said. “So we propose to allocate some of that sales tax surplus for these bonds as well—and we will probably need some additional ad valorem taxation at the time. We’re quite a ways out from what that will look like, but our goal is always to keep that to a minimum.”
The estimated tax impact of the library bond would be $0.0148, according to city documents. This would equate to an increase in taxes on the average taxable value of a home of approximately $9.50 per month, or $114 per year.
What else?
Lake Flato Architects will handle the design of the building, and Hoar Construction, who handled preconstruction work when the library was on the Revival property, will stay on board for the relocation to Skaggs, project manager Chelsea Maldonado with Turner & Townsend-Heery said.
