Posted: 12:41 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015
Library renewal levy heading to May ballot
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ed-richter/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer
BUTLER COUNTY —
Butler
County taxpayers residing
in the MidPointe Library System district will see a tax renewal levy on the May
5 ballot.
Middletown City Council, which serves as
the taxing authority for the MidPointe Library, approved placing the request on
the ballot to renew its current five-year, 0.75-mill operating levy at its
Tuesday meeting. The library system has locations in Middletown,
Trenton and
West Chester Twp.
The 2010 levy generated just more than
$2.97 million or about 40 percent of the library’s 2013 revenues. In 2013, the
library system received more than $7.85 million in revenues and had just more
than $7.06 million in expenses. The library also received $225,623 in fines and
fees in 2013.
If approved, the levy renewal would
continue to cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 about $21.44 annually,
according to Deborah Preston, the library system’s fiscal officer.
The levy renewal would ensure the library
system maintains services and materials at all of its locations as well as its
Outreach Services Department, Preston said.
Preston
told council that approval of the levy renewal would allow for expansion in
growing communities.
In June, the MidPointe Library System
announced it would partner with Mount Pleasant
Retirement Village
to open a 2,100-square-foot, full-service library on the retirement campus at 1 Tennessee Ave. in
Monroe.
No opening date has been set, but the
library will use a $500,000 donation from an estate in Monroe
— designated to support the establishment of a MidPointe Library in Monroe — that will
support operations, technology and materials at the new location, library
spokeswoman Cari Hillman told the Journal-News in June.
While it is projected that state library
funding will remain stable, Library Director Anita Carroll said a levy failure
would force the library board “to make some serious decisions.”
MidPointe has more than 128,360 library
card holders across locations in Middletown, Trenton and West Chester
Twp. The MidPointe Library System
circulated more than 3.74 million items across its three branches in 2013,
including books, DVDs and downloaded material.
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