New Revenue
The preceding sections of this plan have focused on a scenario in which the Library's funding stays the same or is reduced in the coming years. As costs such as utilities, fuel, and employee insurance continue to increase significantly, this scenario will make cuts to Library services necessary. But another scenario would be one in which the Library actively seeks to increase it's funding and preserve services.
While implementation of fines and fees is possible and legal in certain circumstances, these do not generally produce significant revenue. In order to keep pace with inflation, the Library should ideally increase its revenues by 2-4% each year, meaning that an additional $45,000 to $100,000 would need to be generated every year just to maintain the Library's current status. Fines and fees might result in a one-time increase of only $15,000 to $25,000.
Probably the only feasible way to generate enough additional revenue to maintain current services would be to enact a local tax, either an additional property tax or an income tax. Putting aside any arguments about the possibility of passing such a tax, the Library would have to consider one major factor before pursuing such a tax: the difference between its taxing district and its service district.
The Library is organized as a school district extension library, which means that it began as a school district library (Nelsonville City Schools, now Nelsonville-York City School District) which then had its service area extended to cover the entire county in 1935. While the school district library structure has some political advantages over a county district library structure, in that the library board is not appointed by the County Commissioners and the Common Pleas judge(s), the disadvantage is that its taxing district matches the geography of the Nelsonville-York City School District, while its service district covers the entire county.
This discrepancy between the taxing district and the service district usually means that any tax levy would appear only on the ballot in the Nelsonville-York City School District, and would be collected only from that school district, and would be unlikely to pass. There are some legal circumstances in which a library levy can appear on ballots determined by its service district and not its taxing district; determining if this Library's circumstances would allow a county-wide vote should be left to legal experts, but may be possible.
Another possible tactic would be to change the Library's taxing district by changing to a county district library. The procedure for this is explained in the Ohio Revised Code, section 3375.20, which says (in part):
The boards of trustees of the library or libraries providing approved library service to the school districts in the county in which there is not located a main library of a township, municipal, school district, or county free public library may adopt a resolution requesting the formation of a county library district composed of all of the school districts being served by such library or libraries. Such resolution or resolutions shall set forth the school districts to be included in the proposed county library district and it shall be submitted to the taxing authority of the subdivision or subdivisions having jurisdiction over the library or libraries requesting the formation of such proposed library district. Within thirty days after the receipt of such resolution by the taxing authority of a subdivision it shall either approve or disapprove the formation of the proposed county library district as set forth in said resolution.
So the Library would need to pass a resolution to include all five Athens County school districts in one new county library district, and the Nelsonville-York City School Board would then have to approve the formation of the new district.
In summary, then, it is not impossible to raise new local taxes for the Library, though it would undoubtedly be difficult. If the Library's state funding continues to erode, or is reduced and/or capped by a constitutional amendment in November 2006, it may be desirable to pursue this difficult path. The Library accordingly will begin the process of gathering information about its legal options and alternatives, in order to be prepared to act quickly should the need arise.