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Library director outlines services and urges voters to back levy increase
Summary
Noah Blott, who identified himself as executive director of the library system, told the Clallam County West End advisory committee the system is asking voters to raise the property-tax levy (currently about 28¢ per $1,000) to roughly 45¢ per $1,000 to cover rising operating costs and rebuild reserves; he warned services and staff hours would be cut in 2027 if the measure fails.
Noah Blott, the library system's executive director, told the Clallam County West End Community Advisory Committee that the system will ask voters to raise its operating levy to restore funding lost to inflation and state limits on property-tax growth. “For the past 15 years, [the rate] has shrunk to about 28¢ per $1,000 of assessed value,” Blott said, adding that the board plans to ask voters to raise the rate to roughly 45¢ per $1,000 to cover operating expenses and rebuild reserves.
Blott framed the request as a restoration, not a new service: the district is a junior taxing district that collects property taxes countywide and relies on that revenue for about 90% of its budget. He gave a historical example: the district collected about $4.2 million in 2011 and is collecting roughly $4.9 million in 2026, but those increases have not kept pace with personnel, insurance and other costs. “Personnel is our biggest expense,” Blott said. He told the committee that if voters do not approve the levy, the library will have to plan for reductions in staff, hours and branch services beginning in 2027.
Blott also reviewed the library’s community services, emphasizing the bookmobile and outreach programs that serve remote parts of the county. He said the system has four branches and a bookmobile that visits places such as Beaver, La Push and Clallam Bay, plus a home-delivery program for patrons who are homebound. He noted roughly 32,000 active cardholders systemwide —about one card per household in the county — and described free digital resources available to cardholders, from ebooks to databases and online training.
Committee members and residents asked about alternative revenue streams such as timber receipts and the distinction between capital and operating funds. Blott said timber (DNR) receipts have funded capital projects — branch remodels and equipment — while property-tax revenue remains the core of operating funds. He recommended that residents check assessor records to see how much they have paid to the library in recent years and invited further questions as the levy campaign proceeds.
The library presentation concluded with committee thanks and an invitation to contact the system for more information. The committee did not take any formal action on the levy at the meeting.
