Library trustees to seek levy on primary ballot

The proposed levy is smaller than the one that failed Nov. 8.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Warren-Trumbull County Public Library trustees passed a resolution of necessity Thursday for a 0.6-mill additional continuing levy to be placed on the May 2 primary ballot.
After the county auditor certifies the annual dollar amount the new levy would generate after the recent property reappraisal, the library board must pass another resolution to reaffirm the necessity and ask the county commissioners to put the levy on the ballot.
Commissioners have until Feb. 16 to pass their resolution and present it to the county board of elections.
Although the exact amount of money the proposed levy would generate hasn't been determined, Robert D. Briell, library director, estimated it might be about $1 million a year. If the levy passes, the library system would begin collecting the new revenue in January 2007.
The proposed levy for the May ballot is considerably smaller than the 1-mill continuing levy voters defeated by a 52 percent-48 percent margin Nov. 8.
Briell said the new levy is needed to pay for more books and computers as the library system faces 5.2 percent annual cuts in state funding over the next four years.
No new buildings
Library officials have dropped plans to build a new branch in Cortland on land the library owns. "There will be no new buildings," Briell said.
The proposal to build a larger Cortland branch likely hurt the levy at the ballot box last November, Briell said.
"People kept saying 'Well, why do you need another building out there?' Well, logically we do, but we're not going to do it. We just don't have the money, and we'd rather put it into materials and computers and things that people can use right away," Briell said.
If the May levy fails, Briell said cuts in library staff and hours will be inevitable. "Sixty-two percent of our budget is salary-related, so that's the only place we can cut at this point. We can't keep cutting our materials budget," he explained.
The system has its main library in Warren and branches in Brookfield, Cortland, Howland, Liberty and Lordstown.
The library board voted to have its regular meetings this year at 4 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the main library.
milliken@vindy.com