Regional library system previews new Lake Stevens library, warns of upcoming levy restoration on August ballot

Eric Howard, executive director of Snow County Libraries, told the council the regional system (23 branches and a bookmobile) is close to opening a new two‑story Lake Stevens library that will triple the local collection and dedicate the first floor to early literacy and children’s services.

Howard and local staff described outreach efforts — including early‑education credentialing for daycare workers, memory‑care loan kits developed with the Alzheimer’s Association, and high student-card activation (95% of Lake Stevens School District students) — that the system says will be bolstered by the new facility. They also said the larger library will improve systemwide sharing and access to the library network’s roughly 23,000‑item collection.

Speakers noted the system plans a strategic‑planning process and other capital projects (Arlington and Mariner library improvements) and called attention to an upcoming levy restoration measure to appear on the August ballot to restore funding to the 2018 level of $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed value. Howard said the levy restoration is needed to preserve services amid inflation and statutory limits on property-tax increases.

Local library staff described specific Lake Stevens programs: a seed‑library pilot that distributed more than 100 seed packets in weeks after launch; a back‑to‑school event serving 416 students in 2025; and memory‑care kits piloted in Lake Stevens and expanded to other branches. Council members thanked staff for the update and for tours of the new facility; no formal city action on the library or levy occurred at the May 19 meeting.