A new 18,500-square-foot library building near Hill Country Indoor may be coming soon to Bee Cave, pending voter approval in the Nov. 4 special election.
The overview
Officials with the city of Bee Cave answered questions from residents and shared more details on the library at a town hall event held Oct. 9.
The new $19.98 million library would replace current facilities in City Hall, expanding book collection capacity by 25%-30%, City Manager Julie Oakley said at the meeting.
Features of the proposed library include:
- A new multipurpose room
- Private work/study rooms
- Outdoor reading areas
- Children, teen and adult book collections
- Dedicated public parking
- A drive-up book return slot
The details
On the November ballot, voters will be asked to approve two propositions related to the library: Proposition A will authorize construction of the new library, and Proposition B will authorize issuance of funding for the new building.
If approved, Proposition B would result in a property tax increase of up to $0.0148 per $100 of valuation. This would be equivalent to $9.50 per month, or $114 per year for the average Bee Cave homeowner. However, the actual increase may not be that steep.
“What I'll say is I don't put numbers out there that we're going to exceed because that makes me frustrated,” Oakley said. “So I want to make sure that everybody understands that would be the max but I really believe it's going to be quite a bit less.”
If voters do not approve the new library in November, the city will need to formulate a new plan.
“Plan B is we go back to the drawing board, figure out if we still are going to use this site, [or] are we going to figure out another way to provide service,” Oakley said.
If the new library is approved, the existing library space in City Hall will be repurposed, Oakley said.
"If they are able to move out [of] the library space [in City Hall] and the upstairs where [residents have] voted in the past, we will be able to have more space for community gathering. ... [And] they will have vacant offices that are much needed in City Hall,” Oakley said.
What’s next?
Although there are no official estimates for the proposed library's construction completion, Oakley provided a “ballpark” time frame of late 2027 or 2028, if the library is approved.
What else?
The library will celebrate its 20th anniversary Oct. 18, according to the city’s website.
Festivities including live music, crafts and giveaways will take place from 2-4 p.m. at Bee Cave Public Library.
