The Library District proposal is a ballot measure that deserve your attention and due diligence. It is so easy to look at a tax proposal and say no, but this county can’t afford to let this measure flop.

The cost of failure is so much more than the very conservative amount we are being asked to consider to keep libraries –– all their programming, youth services, elderly services and open access –– available to everyone in our county. We stand to lose a massive amount, and the ripple effect from that is more than most have likely considered.

One of the biggest hits would be the loss of the county library programs. Countywide, 72 percent of library programming is paid for by the county library but is run at the city library locations, day care centers and preschools in the county.

More than 5,555 hours of annual programming would be lost. For a county that doesn’t have enough preschool positions for our youth, the library program is one of the only places other than home where our kids are getting prepared for kindergarten.

Without the County Library, we’ll see more kids entering the school system unprepared academically, and even scarier is the social-emotional development that will be lost. Things like working with a group, conflict management, sharing, following directions, all things that are necessary for success in kindergarten. When even one child is struggling in a classroom, it affects the learning environment for the entire class.

Imagine a public school classroom where half the kids are unprepared.

Now imagine, when the city libraries, which are already fighting for every bit of their budgets year after year, have less patronage because of 72 percent programming loss. We’re talking programs that bring these kids and their parents to the library on a regular basis, year round.

Kids checking out thousands of books to participate in programs like 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. How long do you think before the cities start cutting into their library budgets because they don’t see the numbers to support these already slim budgets?

Nationally, the data shows that a loss of the county library puts those city libraries on a 10-year timeline for closures. Our libraries provide universal access to information, digital literacy, test proctoring, articles and information that are factual and engaging, outreach for homebound and seniors and free programming for all our youth.

Putting all of this on the line is a misguided attempt to fix the fiscal issues we have here in Wallowa County.

Suggesting that each person pay their own fees when 15 percent of county households are below the poverty level and simply cannot afford the access and loss of library services will only further deepen the poverty and reliance on assistance here in this county.

Just above the poverty line, it is estimated as high as half to three-quarters are still living paycheck to paycheck. The library is a tool to empower people to create better lives for themselves and their families.

The is direct connection between early literacy and increased school performance including graduation rates, decreased teen pregnancy, increased college attendance, decreased juvenile detention, decreased incarceration for violent crimes and decreased reliance on public assistance. When these are the things that are at stake it is ludicrous to contemplate stripping this county of the only universally available early literacy program for our kids.

If you want to talk about costs we can’t afford, Wallowa County can’t afford the loss of our county library services.

If you love Wallowa County, vote yes for the Wallowa County Library District. If you want to support families who are struggling to be able to do better for themselves and their families thus building a stronger community for us all, you need to vote yes.

If you want to support a culture that empowers our kids to be the best they can be, then you need to vote yes.

Kimberly Witherrite was an original member of the group organized to support Measure 32-41.