The Chronicle is reporting on a grassroots movement to unify the Town of Piedmont with the City of Oakland. One of the more controversial parts of this border dispute is the claim that Piedmont residents, a relatively higher income bunch, are free-riding on access to Oakland's Library services.
Carolyn Jones reporting from the Chronicle has more http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Piedmont-borders-at-issue-4060364.php
Library Services Issue
According to Jones, "Among the most bitter disputes between the two cities is over library services. Piedmont pays Oakland $350,000 annually for the use of its libraries. In 2011, Oakland, facing severe budget cuts, slashed library services and asked Piedmont to increase its share to $395,000 annually. After all, Oakland taxpayers pay $20 million a year, or about $50 for every resident, to support the libraries. Piedmont residents, by comparison, pay just $35 annually.
Piedmont said no, on the grounds that any California resident can obtain a free Oakland library card, and theoretically Piedmont isn't required to pay anything at all. After months of negotiations, Piedmont still pays just $350,000.
That was among the impetuses for Goldstein and his friends to start their reunification campaign. It's not fair, they said, that Piedmont residents enjoy the benefits of Oakland - the restaurants, arts, diversity, parks and overall vibrancy - without taking responsibility for the urban problems that face cities everywhere: crime, budget shortfalls, struggling schools and infrastructure."
