Why is a levy necessary?
A local levy would ensure stable and sufficient resources for the next five years, allowing the library to meet the current and future needs of our community.
The Cardington-Lincoln Public Library Board of Trustees has voted to bring before the voters a one mill levy on November 7th.
Join us for informational sessions, to ask questions and learn more about the levy.
- Tuesday, October 3rd, 7 PM at the Cardington Cafe,103 E Main St. Cardington, OH 43315
- Tuesday, October 10th, 7 PM at the Cardington Community Methodist Church, 300 S Marion St. Cardington, OH 43315
In Ohio, public libraries are funded at the state level through the Public Library Fund (PLF). Each month, the PLF receives a percentage of the state's tax receipts that go into the state's General Revenue Fund (GRF). When cuts are made to the PLF funding or the GRF, the library's budget gets cut as well.
The Cardington-Lincoln Public Library is currently dependent on the PLF for over 90% of its budget, the rest is made up of grants and donations from generous local individuals, businesses, and organizations.
How Much Will It Cost?
This one mill levy will cost homeowners living in the Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools District $35 for every $100,000 in assessed property value.
The property value that determines what homeowners will pay is not based on the upcoming increase in Morrow County property taxes, it's based on prior assessed values.
For the cost of just two hardback books, a household has access to over 700,000 physical items, 3.3 million digital items, Wi-Fi, hotspots, public notaries, programs for all ages, story times, public meeting rooms, and much, much more. Check out the rest of our website to see everything the library has to offer.
How does the library use its budget to enrich our community?
The library recognizes its role as a lifelong learning center in the community. To that end, we continue to provide free access to traditional library services, while also exploring ways to meet the changing needs of our patrons.
We provide materials, programs, and services for all ages.
- Patrons have access to over 700,000 physical books, movies, and magazines through our consortium and over 3 million digital ebooks, digital audiobooks, and digital magazines on the Libby app.
- We provide non-traditional library services, such as public notaries, printing, laminating, and mobile hotspots and bicycles for circulation.
- We are one of the few libraries in the state that remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and, in partnership with the State of Ohio, we have distributed almost 5,000 free COVID-19 tests.
What will the library do if the levy passes?
We will continue to provide enriching and valuable programs and services and pursue new services and offerings.
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Adapt and enhance programs to meet the changing needs of the growing community, ensuring that the library is providing quality services to all ages.
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Maintain a timely, current, and diverse collection of materials to meet the needs of users.
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Increase the availability of electronic resources, such as ebooks and databases, while exploring new services that will benefit the community.
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Continue partnerships with local schools and organizations to maximize effectiveness.
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Evaluate service models to ensure library resources are available when demand is the highest.
What will the library do if the levy fails?
We will work with the community to determine what actions to take to best serve area residents.
Due to rising operational costs that are out of our control and an estimated decrease in PLF funds for 2024, the library budget will likely be in a deficit next year. We have some operational reserves, but once those reserves have been exhausted, we would have to reduce hours, eliminate programs, and cut staff. These difficult decisions would be made with community input.