Mount Pleasant hearing hears library director's case as residents warn tax would hurt seniors

Mayor opened a public hearing Aug. 26 on a proposed notice of property tax increase for Mount Pleasant City that officials say would generate about $50,416 in additional property tax revenue annually. The mayor read example impacts: a homeowner with a $428,000 home would pay about $46.14 more per year and a business would see an increase of roughly $83.89 per year.

Don, the library director, said the library remains heavily used despite digital alternatives: “Last year during our physical our fiscal year, our we had 47,000 physical checkouts from our library,” and the library logged about 20,000 electronic checkouts through Libby. Don said the system issued 2,988 library cards total, including 1,855 from Mount Pleasant, and reported 155 programs with about 4,500 participants last year.

Residents at the hearing pressed the council for alternatives to a tax increase. One resident questioned the timing and notice for the hearing and said the council's budget showed a $25,000 deficit; the resident urged the council not to proceed with the tax because it would compound recent school tax increases and could force seniors to cut essentials, saying, “Do not do this tax increase. Look for another way to come up with $50,000.”

Council members and residents discussed options including expanding the taxed service district to include neighboring towns, raising nonresident library card fees (Don noted a current $10 nonresident car fee), seeking contributions from nearby municipalities or the county, cutting other city budget items, or pursuing grants and fundraising. A council speaker summarized the average household impact: “So that equates to about a little less than $4 a month.”

Officials and commenters debated whether a temporary or expiring one-year tax could cover the immediate shortfall; council members said it might be possible in principle but is not commonly used. Don noted program budgets are small (about $2,000) and some staff are paid modestly, underscoring limits to internal savings.

The hearing record shows no final vote in the transcript. Council members indicated a vote is scheduled for tonight; at the close of public comment the mayor said he would make a motion (the transcript ends before any motion text or vote tally appears). The council will decide whether to adopt the proposed tax increase at that meeting.

The hearing also surfaced recurring questions about equity between Mount Pleasant taxpayers and residents of the broader library service district (Fairview, Spring City, Ephraim, Manti and others) and whether those jurisdictions should help fund a regional library that they use. Attendees suggested outreach to neighboring municipalities and targeted fundraising as next steps.

Next steps: the council is expected to consider a motion and vote on the proposed tax increase at the same meeting; if adopted it would increase the city's property tax revenue budget by the amount stated in the hearing materials.