Library Levy
Yes, Issue 16. The library has placed a 1.5 mill additional continuing levy on the ballot.
Columbus Metropolitan Library is a county district library system serving the residents of Franklin County, except for those residents who reside in the service areas of the other six library systems within the county (Bexley, Upper Arlington, Grandview, Southwest, Worthington and Westerville). Residents of the Columbus Metropolitan Library district will vote on the levy.
If approved, the county auditor has calculated that the levy will generate $39,065,000 during the first year of collection.
To calculate the estimated tax, the current market value of a property is multiplied by 35% to arrive at the property’s taxable value. The taxable value is then divided by 1,000 and multiplied by the millage amount.
A 1.5 mill levy increases taxes by $53 for each $100,000 of market value.
Estimate the annual cost associated with the proposed tax levy using the Franklin County Auditor’s Levy Estimator.
Columbus Metropolitan Library is funded by two primary sources: 1) State of Ohio’s Public Library Fund and 2) voter-approved local property tax levy.
In 2010, Franklin County voters approved a 2.8 mill permanent continuing property tax levy. As property values have risen over the past 13 years, the millage has been reduced to an effective rate of 2.18 mills. With the 2023 reappraisal, this levy’s effective millage is estimated to decrease to 1.61 mills.
Revenue from the library’s 2010 levy has increased an average of 0.4% per year since the first year of collection in 2011.
The levy will fund operating expenses for continued investments in materials, resources, technology, programs and facilities.
Like other organizations, the cost to operate 24 buildings and serve nearly one million residents increases over time as materials, supplies, utilities, wages and other necessary operational costs increase each year. The income from the library’s 2010 levy has increased an average of 0.4% per year since the first year of collection in 2011. New revenue ensures that the library can sustain operations and avoid a financial deficit.
No, they do not. In accordance with Ohio House Bill 920, as property valuations increase during countywide property reappraisals, the voted millage is reduced to generate the same amount of tax revenue as was received when the levy was approved by the voters. Therefore, the library’s current effective mill rate is 2.18 mills on the approved 2010 levy.
The following are resources to learn more about property taxes in Ohio and how values, including those that increase due to reappraisal, correlate with tax rates.
Visit our About Us page to learn more about our organization.
The financial documents linked below provide details about Columbus Metropolitan Library’s finances.
The library would start collecting new revenue in 2024.
Property taxpayers would see the new tax rate beginning in 2024.
If the levy does not pass, the library’s Board of Trustees will assess the budget implications and consider necessary cost reduction measures to prevent a financial deficit.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Early Voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 11.
Find your polling place HERE.
