Branigan Library expansion on November ballot

On July 20, the Las Cruces City Council unanimously voted to let the community decide if we want to expand Branigan Library without raising taxes. This fall it will be our turn to make that choice by voting on a ballot measure to authorize $26 million in Library General Obligation bonds.

To make sure voters have the information they need to make an informed choice about this ballot item before early voting starts on Oct. 6, the Friends of Thomas Branigan Memorial Library will be sharing facts about the current library and its planned expansion with individuals and organizations in the community.

Libraries serve as a special heart of a community, but as Las Cruces and Doña Ana County have grown, our library hasn’t kept pace. The current library was built in 1979 when the population of Doña Ana County was around 93,700. Since then, the population of the county has more than doubled to well over 229,000. At only 44,000 square feet, Branigan Library is significantly below what a community of our size should have.

Despite that limited space, dedicated library staff have significantly expanded the number and types of resources, programs, and services available to the public. You can check out jewelry making tools, a pan to bake a special birthday cake, or a DVD player.

Two Makerspaces, one with sewing equipment and arts and craft supplies and another with a three-D printer, Glowforge, and Cricut, give people a chance to learn new skills and enjoy creative hobbies.

Throughout the year, weekly story times give children a chance to socialize while offering some respite to their caretakers. In a time when we want our youth to find safe places to explore and grow, seeing 40 teens come to a DIY event and leave with their own special creations is extremely encouraging.

A recent “Crafternoon and Lilo & Stitch Movie” event filled the Roadrunner Room to its 100 person capacity. During each of the last two tax seasons, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program served well over 800 people who needed help filing their returns. Individuals and groups can book meeting rooms, if any are available, but this popular option is far too often oversubscribed.

Simply put, more space will mean more people can participate in these excellent opportunities. 

Research shows that public libraries add significant social and economic value to their communities. They increase the number of educational and entertainment options available, at no cost, to patrons. This can improve public safety by providing opportunities for arts and cultural engagement, which have been shown to reduce adolescent antisocial or criminalized behavior.

Libraries enhance feelings of well-being by serving as a safe space to gather with others or to spend time alone. As positive psychology researcher Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman notes, “Public libraries — those enduring and adaptive positive institutions — provide us with information, inspiration, and connection for staying resilient in adversity and for imagining and creating more fulfilling lives and thriving communities.”

If these types of things are important to you, you’ll have a chance to say so this fall. What you’ll see on the ballot is an option to vote for or against the City issuing $26 million in Library GO bonds, payable from existing property taxes. Taxes will NOT increase if this ballot measure passes, because GO Bonds are secured by property tax capacity already in place. 

If approved by the voters in November, the expectation is that Branigan Library will move to a temporary location (as yet to be determined) in Spring 2027 and continue serving patrons there during construction, which is expected to take less than two years.

Then the library will return to downtown Las Cruces in a newly enhanced and expanded building. And because it is an anchor for downtown, Branigan Library’s revitalization is expected to spur further development of the existing business district.

The city has already invested $1 million for the redesign of the library and has committed $2 million of Gross Receipts Taxes to the project. State legislators have also contributed $2.67 million in capital outlay to the library over the past two years. The $26 million for Library GO Bonds reflects the estimated cost to complete the project.

City staff and council members reviewed different construction plans, including a phased approach that would have required less money up front, but they realized that by extending the time the library would need to be relocated and considering the cost of inflation, completing the project in a single phase would be the fastest and most cost effective way to give us a library that better meets the needs of the community.

Investing in our public library is an important step toward strengthening our community. No matter their age or economic status, our library provides a safe third space between home and school and work where patrons of all ages can have a chance to explore, learn, and have fun.

For citations to the research mentioned above, you can email TBMLFriends@gmail.com.  If you have questions about the details of the Library GO bond process or construction plans, you can reach out to the City of Las Cruces Communication Office at 575-541-2200.