FORT SMITH -- Fort Smith library officials say a vote for a library millage increase today is an investment in the community's future.
Voters will go to the polls today for a special election on a proposal to increase the city's library property tax from 1 mill to 3 mills, which will raise an additional $2.8 million a year for the library. Officials say it would be the first millage increase for the library in 57 years.
Library director Jennifer Goodson said Friday that the amount of money the library has obtained from the tax has increased over the years, but "inflation has been our companion over all those years."
The tax now generates $1.4 million a year for the library, the largest contributor to its $2.7 million annual budget.
A mill is a unit of taxation equal to one-tenth of a cent. Each mill is charged against each dollar of assessed value and would produce $1 of tax for each $1,000 of valuation.
If the tax increase passes, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $60 a year in library taxes, up from the current $20 a year, according to figures released by the library system.
Library trustee Ben Shipley said the $40 increase for the owner of a $100,000 home would amount to about 10 cents a day.
"Frankly, I see this as a gift from the community to itself for 10 cents a day for the average home," he said.
Library officials propose to spend the additional tax money on physical resources such as books and DVDs, digital resources that can be downloaded or streamed live by computers, more computers and Internet services, customer service and community outreach, infrastructure and facilities, and hiring.
Goodson responded to one rumor circulated by opponents of the tax increase that said library officials would stop buying books after the first year of increased tax revenue.
"Books are still a really important part of what we do, and I don't foresee that changing at all," she said. "Books are definitely a part of this plan, not just in the first year, but well into the future."
The expansion plan also calls for more e-books to be available along with more materials the library now offers. New features would include installing Redbox-style kiosks around the community, adding customer self-check stations at all library locations, and microfilm-to-digital conversion of newspapers and historical materials.
Library-card holders would be able to access many digital resources such as online tutoring, business plan development and streaming of live movies.
Library board President Robert Kelly said one of the goals of the expansion was not so much to draw people to the library because, with visits totaling nearly 434,000 last year, visitors are not a problem.
"The vision entails making library service available to people out in the community," he said.
Metro on 08/12/2014