Pataskala voters to see library levy, charter amendment - Things That Affect YOU - Ohioans for Responsible Rural Development

ThisWeek Community News
Published October 13, 2011

By Scott Rawdon

Pataskala library director Jeff Rothweiler hopes the first time is a charm.

Pataskala Public Library officials are asking local voters to approve a 0.5-mill renewal levy and a 0.25-mill increase for five years for operating expenses when they go to the polls Nov. 8.

The levy, designated Issue 19 on the November ballot, would cost property owners $22.96 annually per $100,000 in property valuation.

"This is our first chance at passing a renewal for our current levy," Rothweiler said.

Should the levy pass, he said, the library would collect money on its current levy through 2012. The new levy would take effect in 2013.

"We have two more chances to pass the renewal in 2012," he said. "If the renewal with the additional amount is not passed in 2012, we will have to re-evaluate the situation at that time."

Rothweiler said the November levy would raise $432,750 each year, according to the assessed value completed by the Licking County Auditor's Office. The 0.5-mill levy passed in 2007 raises approximately $288,000 annually.

Registered voters in the Southwest Licking Local School District are eligible to vote for the levies which, if passed, would help the library purchase books and other materials; provide more services and free programs; fund a redesign of the library's website; provide Wi-Fi connectivity and more Internet terminals; expand the library's e-book collection; and allow the library to offer free music downloads, according to the library's promotional material.

Rothweiler said one of the reasons for the levy request is that predicting what the state will do in 2013 during its next biennium budget is difficult. The 0.25-mill increase would cover what the library has lost in state funding since 2007.

If the levy fails, he said, it would be business as usual for the library through 2012, but past then, "we will continue to monitor the situation going forward."

According to library officials, state tax revenue supports the library, like all Ohio public libraries. Public money is used to purchase materials and facility improvements. Increasing overdue fines and other fees would not provide enough money to offset reductions in state funding.

Read the full story at ThisWeekNews.com.