Akron Summit County library leaders brief Green City Council on 1-mill, 20-year bond before May 6 vote

Pam Hickson Stephenson, executive director of the Akron Summit County Public Library, told the Green City Council on April 22 that the library system will ask voters on May 6 to approve a 1-mill, 20-year bond to pay for capital repairs and modernization at every branch.

"It is a 1 mill 20 year issue that will raise $160,000,000," Stephenson said, adding that the work would take place over six to eight years. She said the bond proceeds would be restricted to capital expenses and could not be used for operating costs such as staff salaries or collections. "The cost to the owner of a home valued at $100,000 is $35 a year or slightly less than $3 a month," she said.

Sherry Swisher, branch manager for the Green Branch, described the location as one of the system's busiest and highlighted community programs and partnerships. "We are one of the first six built... and we are second busiest in the entire 18 location branches," Swisher said, thanking the council for supporting library programming and use of city facilities.

Stephenson said the system last had major capital funding tied to a bond passed in 1997 that was paid off in 2020 and that the district has not had a dedicated capital revenue source since. She outlined common facility needs — failing roofs and parking lots, aging HVAC systems and the need to modernize electrical and work areas to support laptops and remote work. She said a design firm's space-usage study and public engagement results are available online.

"If they go to akronlibrary.org on the very first page, the homepage, there is a link to factual information about the bond issue," Stephenson said, and noted an additional levy website (supportourlibrary.com) and social media channels for details and the feasibility study addressing each location.

Council asked several clarifying questions about how branch space would be modernized and how the public could review the conceptual plan; Stephenson said the plan includes more electrical outlets, quiet study and small collaborative spaces, and some scaled maker-type equipment but no net building additions.

The presentation preceded public comment in which resident Pat Karleski urged neighbors to vote for the levy and thanked library staff for services such as free faxing. The bond measure will appear on the May 6 ballot; library officials said they will follow public response and proceed with design and capital work if voters approve the measure.

Next steps: the library levy will be decided by voters on the May 6 election; online resources and the feasibility study were provided by library staff for residents seeking more detail.