Library trustees to consider plan to take less from taxpayers

AUSTINTOWN — Mahoning County’s public library trustees will consider Thursday a real estate tax levy for the Nov. 4 ballot that would generate $1.3 million a year less than the combined total the library now receives from two levies that expire at the end of this year.

The executive committee of the board of trustees of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County this morning recommended the proposal to the full board, which will meet at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Poland Library to consider it.

The 15-branch library system now has a 1-mill levy that generates $3,676,715 annually and a 1.8-mill levy that generates $6,984,523 a year, for a combined total of $10,661,238 a year.

Under the proposal recommended by the committee and by Heidi Daniel, library director, the 1-mill levy would be allowed to expire and the voters would face a ballot issue that would renew the 1.8-mill levy and add .6 mill to it to generate $9,315,141 a year.

The library system will be able to survive on less levy money in the future because no new major construction efforts are planned after completion of its two major forthcoming projects, a new $5 million Canfield library and a $14 million renovation of main library, which are already funded by the system’s savings, Daniel said.