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Carmel Clay Public Library warns SEA 1 could remove a large share of operating revenue; seeks public support
Summary
Library Director Bob Swaney told a public livestream that SEA 1 will reduce the library—s property-tax share and alter local income-tax distribution, costing the library about $330,000 in 2026 and threatening up to 45% of operating budget if local income-tax allocations change under the law.
Bob Swaney, director of the Carmel Clay Public Library, described how SEA 1 and other state funding changes threaten library collections, programs and long-term planning.
"For us, that would be losing 45 percent of our operating budget," Swaney said when describing the potential loss of local income-tax revenue under SEA 1's new distribution rules. He said the law phases changes through 2028 and beyond and that library revenue from local income tax was $5.1 million in 2024.
Swaney provided usage and budget context: the system recorded more than 2.1 million checkouts in 2024, roughly 584,000 visits, 72,000 cardholders, and that digital items now account for about 47 percent of checkouts. He said digital materials are significantly more expensive for libraries because of publisher licensing and digital-rights restrictions.
Swaney estimated the library will see about $330,000 less in 2026 because of SEA 1 and said losses will likely grow as the law phases in more deductions and credits. He described a hypothetical scenario in which, if SEA 1 had been in effect, library local-income-tax revenue would have fallen by about $1.4 million in 2024 under the most favorable assumptions.
The director outlined energy-efficiency measures and capital projects: a Joyce Winner West Branch renovation this year (new windows, HVAC replacement, added solar panels and a book locker) and a 554-panel solar array at the main library; he estimated the branch solar panels will cover about two-thirds of that branch's energy use and the main array covers roughly 20—20 percent of the main building's energy.
Swaney also warned about recent funding reductions at the Indiana State Library: a 30 percent cut in state support and loss of about $3.5 million in federal Institute of Museum and Library Services funding, which reduces statewide services libraries rely on, such as the INSPIRE research databases.
He urged residents to support libraries through the Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation, volunteer programs and by contacting state lawmakers to restore or protect library funding. Swaney said the library will try to manage reductions but that uncertainty makes long-term planning difficult and could force program reductions if county or state decisions remove funding streams.
