The levy money will be “continuing the good service we offer our patrons,” said Jeff Brock, Vice President of the Library Board of Trustees Tuesday night.
“We’re just very grateful for the support of Greene County and befriending the library with a positive vote for Issue 2, and looking forward to being good stewards of their contribution,” Brock said. “Thank you again for your confidence in your library and we look forward to serving you in better ways in the future.”
The library levy is one of a few property tax asks on Greene County residents’ ballot this November, including a renewal for a public health levy, which also passed.
The one-mill library levy is expected to fund library materials, operations, programs and services. The library last passed an operating levy in 2014.
The levy would cost property owners $35 annually per $100,000 of appraised value, and would run for 10 years.
The Greene County Public Library recently completed a major renovation on the Xenia Community Library, the last of a series of major renovations to its buildings over roughly the last two decades. The money for the Xenia library renovation came from the library’s cash reserves.
If the levy had failed, the library would look at cutting staff and hours, administrators previously told the Dayton Daily News.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
There are seven locations part of the Greene County Public Library system: Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Cedarville, Fairborn, Jamestown, Xenia, and Yellow Springs. In addition to these branches, there is also a makerspace called Spark Place.
According to library data, 64% of Greene County residents have library cards, which amounts to more than 100,000 people, and library users borrow more than 2.5 million items annually. Usage of the library’s digital circulation items has quadrupled in the last ten years, according to library data. Additionally, Spark Place, the library’s makerspace, hosts 4,000 patrons a month.
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