The State Library Board’s proposal, if approved, would affect almost 4,000 residents in the area between the two library districts. It would also likely slash revenue by 5.4 percent, or about $64,700 for the Champaign County Public Library, said Ty Henderson, director of the Champaign County Public Library. It would mean a cut of about $28,300, or 6.5 percent in revenue for the St. Paris Public Library.
In St. Paris, the library relies heavily on its local funding. The state’s decision came as a surprise, said Nancy McAlpin, director of the St. Paris Public Library.
“It’s been a shock to everyone here,” McAlpin said. “We never thought it would come to this.”
St. Paris board members did not expect a reduction in funding, she said, so the decision may mean the board has to request a new levy in the long run to make up the difference. When the funding change takes place in 2015, it may also mean reductions to hours, staff and other expenses in St. Paris.
However, Henderson said the Champaign County Public Library was satisfied with the state’s decision. It anticipated some funding might be lost, he said, and has reduced spending on new materials to help make up the difference.
There are only a handful of cases in Ohio in which libraries share taxing districts, said William Morris, Governmental Affairs coordinator for the State Library Board. He said board members tried to find a compromise that would do the least harm to both libraries, while ensuring residents get the best service possible.
“It’s sort of unfortunate because obviously there’s going to be a loss of tax revenue,” Morris said. “Nobody really wins as far as the libraries go.”
Both entities had 30 days to appeal the proposal, but no appeals were filed. Board members would need a simple majority to approve the proposal, Morris said.
After learning of the state’s decision, McAlpin said the St. Paris library board considered an appeal but feared spending additional time and money in a fight it might not win.The library had argued it has traditionally served the entire Graham School District, and should have been allowed to continue to serve throughout the district’s boundaries.
“It was a board decision not to appeal because we feared we could lose more than we gained,” McAlpin said.
Both McAlpin and Henderson said their respective libraries will continue to serve all county residents regardless of the new tax boundaries.
“Libraries in Ohio in general, especially in a county, they’re open to everyone,” Morris said. “They don’t draw a line at some artificial boundary.”
Under the proposal, the new boundaries for the St. Paris Public Library will be portions of the Graham School District located in Adams, Jackson, Johnson and Mad River Precinct B in Mad River Township. The new boundaries for the Champaign County Public Library will be the Urbana City School District, as well as Harrison and portions of Concord Twps. in the Graham School District, as well as Mad River Precinct A in Mad River Twp. It will also include portions of Triad Local, West Liberty-Salem Local, Northwestern Local and the Northeastern School Districts in Champaign County.
While the St. Paris library will abide by the state’s decision, McAlpin said St. Paris has different needs than the larger Champaign County Public Library system, and was not on even ground when the state was making its decision.
Residents who were paying taxes for both libraries will see a small reduction in their taxes, said Karen Bailey, Champaign County auditor. But for other residents inside the taxing districts who were only paying for one levy, it might mean a slight increase in costs because there are fewer residents within the taxing district, Bailey said.
Most residents will not notice the change on their tax bills until 2015.
While residents will pay taxes to only one of the two libraries, Henderson said both libraries will continue to serve all residents who wish to use their services. Many residents live in the middle of the two libraries, and visit one or both depending on their personal preferences and convenience.
“Regardless of whatever township or school district that person is in, we’re going to continue to serve everybody,” Henderson said.
Last year, Ohio Sen. Bill Beagle, R-Tipp City, sponsored the legislation that allowed the state library board to set boundaries to avoid double-taxation if the libraries involved could not reach a mutual agreement.
Beagle said libraries are increasingly relying on local revenue in addition to state funding to operate. As more libraries seek local taxes, more overlapping tax districts would likely result without the legislation, he said.
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