Jefferson County voters will decide in the November general election if they want to increase millages to fund the construction of a new library in Pine Bluff and make improvements to three branch libraries.
Early voting began Monday and more than 2,000 ballots were cast by Tuesday afternoon, said Katherine Wooldridge, a senior deputy with the Jefferson County clerk's office.
"It was a lot for the first day of voting," Wooldridge said of Monday's turnout.
Pine Bluff residents will vote on a 3-mill increase that would pay for a $14 million library. County voters will decide if they want a 0.25-mill increase to improve libraries at Redfield, White Hall and Altheimer.
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The 3-mill increase would cost Pine Bluff property owners about $45 a year, based on an average home value of $72,900, said Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System interim Director Taylor Eubank. County residents would see an annual increase of about $4 a year if they approve the 0.25-mill tax, he said.
A mill is one-tenth of a cent. Counties tax property at 20 percent of its appraised value.
Eubank said a new 35,000-square-foot library is needed because the existing one, located in the Pine Bluff Civic Center on Eighth Avenue, is prone to flooding, has inadequate space and antiquated wiring. The roof leaks, as well, he said.
The library was built in 1963 as an art museum and contains a performance center and courtroom that hamper the library's plans for growth.
Heavy rains in August caused flooding of the library's first floor and forced its closure this summer. Workers are repairing flooring this week, Eubank said.
Plans call for the new library to be built downtown, and proponents say the library is needed to help revive the area.
The issue almost didn't make it on the November ballot. In August, the Pine Bluff City Council voted 5-3 to call for the election, but the measure needed a two-thirds vote before it could be passed. Mayor Debe Hollingsworth cast the deciding vote to pass the ordinance later in a special meeting.
The vote rankled Alderman Glen Brown Sr., who opposes the millage increase, and it put him at odds with his son, Glen Brown Jr., who is also on the Pine Bluff City Council and voted in favor of placing the millage issue on the ballot.
"I am all for studying and learning, but Pine Bluff does not need a library," Brown Sr. said.
He said each of Jefferson County's four school districts have libraries, along with one at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and there are four branch libraries in the county's system.
"We have libraries on top of libraries in Jefferson County," Brown said. "We are drowning in taxes. We don't need any more."
He said Jefferson County needs to retain its population. In 2000, 84,278 lived in the county. Last year, 71,565 called Jefferson County home.
"A new library won't bring people back to Pine Bluff," he said.
Brown Jr. was one the five aldermen who voted to call for the election and to enact an emergency clause that would place the issue on the Nov. 8 ballot, in lieu of holding a special election at a later date.
The family split has been difficult, Brown Sr. said.
"I'm trying to let him grow into his own political self," he said. "I haven't jumped him yet on this, but it doesn't make me feel good about our differences."
Eubank said more than 100,000 people use the library yearly, and half of the patrons use its computers, Internet, newspapers and other resources.
"It's not just for checking out books," he said.
If voters favor the 3-mill increase, construction could begin early next year on the library. Eubank said it will include a technology center with 35 computers and space for small group gatherings, along with a larger area for bigger groups.
Because there are two issues on the ballot -- the city's millage and county's millage request -- only one, feasibly, could pass, Eubank said.
"We hope both pass so we can get to work," the director said. "But if only one passes, we'll have to play the hand we get dealt to us."
Plans are not set for the new library's location yet, he said. If the millages pass, library officials will meet with the community to gather input. Eubank said the library will be built on Main Street between Sixth and 12th streets.
State Desk on 10/26/2016