On Oct. 3rd, County Executive Klausmeier announced that she would end negotiations related to the proposed library in Middle River. Her whole statement is reposted below. 

At the October 6th County Council meeting, council member David Marks spoke passionately about the importance of this project for the surrounding businesses and the many families who have supported this library. Notably, many Middle River residents waited three hours to share their frustration with the County's decision to end negotiations regarding the library project. 

If you want the County to return to the table, rather than walking away from a once in the lifetime opportunity for a new library in Middle River, email your thoughts to the County Executive at kathyk@baltimorecountymd.gov. 

Here is a template you can use, but you are encouraged to share your own thoughts about why this library matters to you and your family:

Dear County Executive,

My name is X and I'm a proud Middle River resident. 

More than 30,000 people live in this area. Yet we remain one of the few communities in Baltimore County without a library. The closest branches are in Essex and White Marsh — several miles away. As you’ve heard research shows people rarely drive more than three miles to visit a library. That matters. It explains why Middle River has far fewer library card holders than other communities. That alone should sound loud alarm bells. Distance is not just an inconvenience — it’s a real barrier to access for Middle River at large.

Our schools also need help. Our students lag behind many others in the county on many metrics.  Libraries can help change that trajectory — encouraging students to embrace literacy and support a love of learning. 

Children who can’t drive have no way to get to other libraries in the County. That means for many children in our community and neighboring communities along 43 have nowhere to go after school. White Marsh and Essex branches aren’t just distant — they are completely out of reach and there is a lack of free, safe afterschool spaces for school age children. That’s why a library here isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.

But a library is also more than books. Middle River lacks free spaces where neighbors of any age can gather — for story hours, workshops, community gatherings, civic meetings. A library would be a home for lifelong learning and a true forum for civic discourse — something our community desperately needs.

We understand and appreciate the county’s budget constraints. Every dollar must be spent wisely. But a library is a critical investment in community, education, and connection and this is a unique opportunity for public private partnership, which also supports the other businesses that are trying to grow here. There is unique pressure at this moment to continue the conversation, at the risk of losing this land to other purposes if the County won't return to the negotiation table. 

That’s why this conversation matters. We want to be part of this process. We want transparency. We want real dialogue.

More than 1,500 residents have signed petitions for this library. Because a library isn’t just a building — it’s the foundation for a stronger, more educated, more connected Middle River. And as our representative, we deserve the County continuing the conversation on our behalf.

Sincerely, 

 

 

Statement from County Executive Klausmeier:

"After careful consideration, I made the decision to end negotiations to construct an additional library branch in Middle River. 

When I became Baltimore County executive this past January, I made a commitment to our residents that I would stabilize our county’s budget and limit new financial burdens in an increasingly uncertain fiscal climate. 

This commitment not only means not raising taxes during my term as County Executive, but also means avoiding lengthy and sizable financial commitments that could force future county executives to raise taxes after I leave office.

We are greatly appreciative of St. John Properties for being a pillar of our business community, for its genuine interest in expanding library resources for our community, and for its engagement in good-faith negotiations over the past six months. 

However, a lease agreement for a significant project like this proposed library would add tens of millions in unanticipated costs for lease payments, equipment, and maintenance over the next several decades, and doesn’t account for the millions in annual staffing costs needed to support a brand-new library branch. These new annual costs would elevate the risk that tax increases would be needed to honor a contractual commitment if revenue growth in Baltimore County is lower than expected, a risk that continues to grow after news from the State that revenues will be lower than expected in the coming fiscal year. 

This proposed project would bypass the much-needed replacement of the Essex and Lansdowne library branches, as well as the combined Randallstown library and recreation center—some of which have been in preliminary phases for years.

This decision was not made lightly, and in no way diminishes our resolve to invest in our public libraries when fiscally responsible. Just this week, we kicked off a $22 million renovation project at the Woodlawn Library Branch that was years in the making. Prior to my arrival, significant investments to modernize our library system were brought to fruition, including major renovations at Catonsville and White Marsh and enhancements at Pikesville. We look forward to continuing to advance top priority projects and support our public libraries within existing resources in the future.  

We also encourage our Middle River residents to explore all that Baltimore County Public Library’s 19 branches have to offer. In fact, the Essex and White Marsh branches are approximately five miles—and the Perry Hall Branch six miles— from the proposed Middle River library location in Greenleigh.

Once again, I want to thank St. John Properties for its long-standing business relationship with—and investments in—Baltimore County, and for bringing this proposal forward. While a new library branch is an attractive amenity, my commitment to our residents in taking this office was to stabilize our budget and avoid the risk of present or future tax increases, and I plan on honoring that commitment."