Lib Politics Rodeo April 7, 2014
Congratulations to the Reading Public Library (MA). A vote was passed on April 1 for a $3.5 million debt exclusion bond to be paid through property taxes. This is to fund an increase in cost to renovate the library that was discovered after the initial bond passed last year.
Welcome to the Lib Politics Rodeo.
Every Monday we will round up the previous week’s news on library politics and highlight some of the things that we are following or reading. Here’s what we have in our lassos this week…
News
Congratulations to the Reading Public Library (MA). A vote was passed on April 1 for a $3.5 million debt exclusion bond to be paid through property taxes. This is to fund an increase in cost to renovate the library that was discovered after the initial bond passed last year.
Today the city council in Galesburg (IL) will consider a ballot measure for a new public library. The cost would be $5 million to be paid through property taxes. Tomorrow, the Centralia Library District (MO) will have a 25 cent tax levy increase on the ballot. If it does not pass the library would need to cut its hours from 55 hours per week to 33.
The Fulton city School district (NY) voted for two propositions related to the library to be on the May 20 ballot. One would make the library a school district library and increase the annual tax amount to $350,000 (from $170,000). The other would allow the school district voters to elect the library board members. The South Lake Tahoe Library (CA) will have something on the June 3 ballot. Measure L will renew the current parcel tax that provided $420,550 in funding in 2013. If it does not pass the library would lose about 83% of its funding and would need to cut hours and staff. The existing tax will expire June 30, 2015. This is a campaign we would like to support in 2014.
The Addison Township Public Library (MI) will have a 10 year 0.25 mill property tax to fund library operations and maintenance on the August 5 ballot. Something called the Headlee Roll Back introduced in 1963 has slowly decreased the library’s millage from 0.75 to 0.57 causing the library to dip in to its reserves. The purpose Headlee Roll Back was to keep millage rates even with inflation. However, because of uneven property value increases and decreases in a community, the Headlee Roll Back has kept millage increases behind inflation. The Bedford Branch Library (MI) has placed a 5 year 0.25 mill levy on the August 5 ballot to fund the library building and maintenance. A similar levy expired in 2012 and the library has not received any money for the cost of the library building since then.
Thank you for following the Lib Politics Rodeo. We hope you will consider supporting EveryLibrary. Your donations can help us do several great things for libraries during election time. Help us help libraries have a successful and well funded year in 2014. In 2013, every $1 we spent on campaigns helped libraries secure $1,450 at the ballot box. That is $8.75 million in stable tax revenue for library collections, programs, hours, and staff. Even $5 can go a very long way. Donate now.
That’s all for today. Join us next week for another round up. Happy trails!