Pass: 180,467 / 72.94% Yes votes ...... 66,956 / 27.06% No votes

See Also: Index of all Issues

Summary Prepared by League of Women Voters:

Explanation: This new levy proposes a tax of 1 mill on residential and commercial property in Hamilton County for a five year term. The purpose of the levy is to provide funding for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, including staffing, operating costs, and facilities maintenance. The levy would produce $100.2 million over five years beginning in fiscal year 2010 or approximately $20.2 million per year. The cost of the levy for the owner of a $100,000 property would be approximately $30 a year. Under Ohio law, the Hamilton County Commissioners were required to place this issue on the ballot after the governing board of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County voted to place this five-year levy before voters November 2009.

What the levy will do: If the levy passes, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County will use the levy funds to help fund basic operating expenses and maintenance of Library facilities and to replace some of the lost state revenues.

Background: The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, organized in 1853, was the nation's first metropolitan, county-wide library. It is governed by a 7-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Board of County Commissioners and the Common Pleas judges. The Library Board is responsible for all budgetary and operational decisions, overseeing establishment of all library branches and disposing of special funds such as endowments and grants. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County consists of the Main Library in downtown Cincinnati and 40 branch libraries.

The Library's primary source of funding is state taxes, making up about 90% of its annual budget. Other sources of revenue to the Library include contributions, fines & fees, restricted grants, and investment return from endowments.

Currently the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County does not receive any local tax support. It is the only metropolitan library in Ohio without a local source of funding.

Ohio public libraries are funded by the Public Library Fund (PLF) which receives 2.22% of the State's General Revenue Fund tax collections. This amount of money has been gradually decreasing over the past few years due to the financial crisis and lower state tax revenue receipts. The 2010-2011 state budget bill reduces Ohio's Public Library Fund (PLF) from 2.22% to 1.97% of the tax collections included in the State's General Revenue Fund.

State support for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has declined from $53.1 million in 2000 to an estimated $38.4 million in 2009, a 25% reduction in state funding. In response, the Library has reduced hours of operation, staff, and budget. In addition capital projects have been canceled and renovations have been postponed.

Tax Levy Review Committee (TLRC) Comments: At the request of the Board of County Commissioners, the TLRC conducted an informal review of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's request for a 1 mill levy on the November 2009 ballot. Because of time constraints, the review waived the usual process for analyzing the levy request and served only as on opportunity for the residents of Hamilton County to understand why the Library requested a levy, their financial history and plan and what levy dollars would support. An outside consultant was not obtained by the Library or the County to provide a detailed analysis of the Library's operating structure or capital needs. The TLRC recommends the Library hire a consultant to review their operations and develop a 5-year plan.

County Auditor

• What will this levy cost me? - Information from the Auditor is available for this proposed tax levy. Go to the website, then to "Property Search." Input your address and then click on "Levy Info" on the left side of the page.

League of Women Voters

• Ballot Language Definitions

Google News Search

• About this race

• League of Women Voters Issues Forum on Ballot Issues in Hamilton County (recorded 9/23/09) - Watch on Cincinnati.com. Issue 7 is the 6th issue discussed.
• Local 12's Newsmakers (aired 10/4/09) - Interview with Kimber L. Fender, Executive Director of PLCH and William Moran, Trustee, PLCH

Vote for Our Library

Website in support of Issue 7