Palm Desert city council votes to withdraw from county-led library system

Palm Desert city council voted to establish a city-led library, separate from Riverside County. The council agreed that the unanimous decision would increase the library’s revenue to $2.6 million a year and would allow the city to enhance the services currently provided.  

Under the current system, the city spends over $1 million to operate the county-led library.

“The cost of needed repairs and updates starts to equal a brand new spanking shiny building. So that made the timing right to think about the transition to give us more flexibility, said Kathleen Kelly, Palm Desert Mayor.

The council says under a city-led system, this funding would be funneled back into the library and could even be used to open two additional library branches to expand access to residents.

The current Palm Desert library, located on Fred Waring Drive on the College of the Desert campus, was originally built in the 1990s as a part of an agreement between the city, county and college. 

“We want to ensure that we have the best quality possible and agree being able to place something in a more central location, accessible to a lot of the housing for families that's coming on board and our new Cal State, this would be a great opportunity for research and a great opportunity to be a resource overall," said Karina Quintanilla, Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem.

Now that the withdrawal process is in motion, the city will move forward with a short-term lease with the college as they search for a location for the new library. 

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