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Save Our Library Committee urges county to create library district, recommends $0.50 per $1,000 rate
Summary
The Save Our Library Committee presented a feasibility study recommending a permanent property-tax rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value (about $75 per household annually) to fund expanded library hours, services, and a bookmobile; committee chair Stephanie Thompson outlined community outreach and funding rationale.
Stephanie Thompson, chair of the Save Our Library Committee, told the Grant County Court the committee conducted surveys and focus groups and produced a feasibility study recommending formation of a library district funded by a permanent property-tax rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Thompson said the committee had met nearly weekly since September to design a service model that reflected resident requests for expanded services and more accessible hours. “Library services require a stable and reliable funding source,” she told the court, adding that volunteer donations and grants are not sufficient to sustain ongoing operations.
The committee presented the $0.50 per $1,000 figure as equivalent to about $75 per household per year on average; Thompson said that amount would fund expanded services, increase operating hours, reinstate the bookmobile, and allow the library to build a four-month contingency fund. Thompson thanked county staff and Librarian Chris Ostberg for collaboration on the recommended plan.
The court accepted the presentation and later approved Order 2026-03 to place the measure before voters.
