The city of Langley is considering selling one of its properties.

The Langley Library became a branch of Sno-Isle Libraries in 1962, according to previous South Whidbey Record stories. An annexation agreement signed in 2010 outlines the city’s responsibilities to maintain the building, which is leased by the library system free of charge.

The 5,000-square-foot building, parts of which date back to 1923, reopened in March after undergoing a $4.5 million renovation. Given its precarious financial situation, city officials are looking into transferring ownership of the library to the public library system, as the city does not have sufficient funding to continue the upkeep.

In documents received through a public records request, Langley Mayor Kennedy Horstman informed members of the city council in September that the estimated annual maintenance of $36,000 to $40,000 on the building is more than the city can afford. A letter sent by Sno-Isle Libraries requesting that the city assume its maintenance responsibilities increased her sense of urgency to move forward with beginning the discussion.

This is not the first time that elected leaders have talked about selling the library, as it came up earlier this year during a city council meeting as a potential way to cut costs.

Horstman noted in a memo about the property transfer that state law requires municipal real estate be sold at fair market value, but makes allowances for property sales between public agencies. Sno-Isle Libraries has suggested an offer well below the assessed value of the property because it does not want to set a precedent for other municipalities.

The Langley Library and Langley City Hall currently occupy the same parcel of land, which will require a boundary line and easement correction if the sale happens.

As a condition of the sale, the site must remain a public library, and if that changes, the city has the first right of refusal to purchase it at the same cost that the library acquired the property from the city. Sno-Isle has committed to continuing to allow the city council to use the library’s meeting room for meetings multiple times per month.

“If we could afford to keep it going the way it is, we could,” Horstman said this week in an interview. “But I think they’re just in a better financial situation. It makes sense that they would own it.”

The Langley Library has several maintenance milestones coming due that involve the HVAC system, LEED certified systems, a solar panel array, plumbing and roof repair.

Sno-Isle Assistant Director of Strategic Relations Susan Hempstead said the question of building ownership is not a new one for the library system, as it has navigated this topic with other municipalities – most recently, the cities of Arlington and Marysville. Sno-Isle currently owns nearly half of its library properties, including in Freeland and Coupeville.

“They are great partners and we will follow their lead and the community’s lead in what makes the most sense for this city asset,” Hempstead said of Langley.