Commissioners consider levy for library

The library board would consider building a larger new branch in Cortland.
WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners today could put a 1-mill additional levy for the Warren/Trumbull County Public Library on November's ballot.
The item is on the board's agenda and the commissioners made no comment on it Tuesday during a work session.
The estimated $2.4 million annually the levy would generate would let the library restore its materials budget, pay off debts, acquire a new Bookmobile, upgrade computers and resume Sunday hours.
More than twice the space
Also, it would allow the library's board to consider plans for a bigger branch in Cortland, director Robert Briell told commissioners. The branch at 212 N. High St. is 4,000 square feet and was built in 1983; a 10,000-square-foot facility is desired.
The library bought four acres on Wakefield Drive five years ago for $235,000, then sold one acre to a car dealership for $80,000. Also possible is a branch in Southington or Champion, where there is population growth. No decision has been made.
The library gets financial support from a 0.4-mill levy in effect for 10 years, generating $768,000 annually. It also gets $3.8 million through the state Library Local Government Support Fund, which stands to be decreased by 21 percent within five years under Gov. Bob Taft's budget plan.
Also on the horizon, Briell said, is the state's eliminating collection of the tangible personal property tax -- which would eliminate $400,000 from the library's budget.
The Warren-Trumbull County Public Library operates six facilities including the main building in Warren. Branches are in Cortland, Howland, Liberty, Brookfield and Lordstown.
The new levy would be voted on only by people who are served by the county library and its branches. People in Niles, Girard, Kinsman, Newton Falls, Hubbard and Bristolville, which have their own libraries, would not vote.