Posted: 12:41 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015

Library renewal levy heading to May ballot

By Ed Richter

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.