City of Victoria interested in buying library

Victoria Advocate
By Leo Bertucci | lbertucci@vicad.com
May 22, 2023

City and county officials are discussing a deal that would turn the Victoria Public Library building over to the city.

Purchasing the building would allow the city to better implement its library master plan, City Manager Jesús Garza said. The master plan, which the Victoria City Council approved in April, lays out future additions to the library over the 10-30 years.

An expansion of the existing building is a “long-term recommendation” in the master plan. New reading spaces and programs are expected to be introduced sooner.

“The city’s position is that we’re not going to invest into a property or building that we don’t own,” Garza said.

At the Victoria County Commissioners Court meeting Monday, County Judge Ben Zeller said that if the city buys the library building, it would get out of its interlocal agreement with the county. As part of the agreement, the county agrees to share management of the library with the city, since the city provides its fire and emergency medical services to county residents who live outside the city limits.

Zeller said there is no timetable for when a deal might be made. The city and county are engaged in “general discussions,” he said.

“I certainly think we will know in the coming months what will happen to the current interlocal agreement,” Zeller said.

Garza said that although the city could gain complete control over who is appointed to the library advisory board, the purchase of the library has nothing to do with new book policies.

How the city would pay the county for the purchase of the library is still in question, Garza said. One option would be to set up a structured payment plan over multiple years. The city could also raise funds through a charitable campaign.

“It’s not like we have $3 million dollars sitting around,” Garza said.

A bond paid for by Victoria homeowners would not be an option, Garza said.

Both the city and county requested a third party to appraise the library building. Garza said the property values in both reports do not match. The county’s report said the building is worth $3.3 million. Garza said the city’s report, which will be released to the public next month, has an appraisal of $2.9 million.

Zeller anticipated to see an appraisal value higher than $3.3 million.

“It’s a large facility that takes up an entire block and those aren’t common,” he said.

Zeller said the overall effort of talks with the city is to ensure the library is in the best position it can be.

“We want to see it continue to meet the needs of the city and county,” Zeller said of the library.

The City Council will discuss the purchasing the library at their June 6 meeting, Garza said.