CANTON ‒ Stark Library's bid for a 2-mill renewal and 0.3-mill levy increase will be on the November ballot. Stark County commissioners on June 17 unanimously approved putting the revenue request before voters. At a recent county work session, library officials said the levy, which would last eight years, is necessary to cover increased operating costs and a reduction in state funding. The library's current eight-year, 2-mill levy was approved in 2019 and will expire in 2027. The eight-year, 2.3-mill renewal and increase would cost homeowners $55 for every $100,000 of their property's assessed value if approved. That's an $11 annual increase compared to the current levy costs.
The new levy would generate nearly $15 million per year, an increase of about $2.7 million. Many of the library's operating costs have increased since the last levy passed in 2019, including health insurance costs for employees and materials costs for ebooks and audiobooks. The state also changed library funding last year from a set percentage of the revenue from the state's General Revenue Fund to a line-item appropriation on the state budget. That reduced public library funding by about $25 million from 2025 to 2026. Stark Library is collecting about $350,000 less a year because of the change, according to CEO and Executive Director Mary Ellen Icaza.
If the levy is not passed, Stark Library would need to take significant cost-cutting measures that could include reducing library hours, providing fewer programs and reducing staff, according to library officials. Levy funds will not be used for the construction of the new Main Library building in Canton. That project is funded from the library's capital fund and borrowing from the state's Public Library Fund.
Canton Repository