On Aug. 6, the San Juan Island Library will ask voters for a levy lid lift for ongoing operations and maintenance. If approved, this would increase the levy rate from the current 25.39 cents to 41 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

With three out of five community members card-carrying patrons of the Library, our local library is heavily used. Per capita, we rank among the top ten libraries in Washington State in several categories: 7th for annual visits; 8th for circulation; 5th in program attendance; and we have the 2nd largest collection (Orcas is first). In addition, our services reflect the growing and changing services that contemporary libraries offer, such as use of public computers; access to digital books, magazines, and films; online resources; and Wi-Fi access to the internet from both the building and loanable hot spots.

The Library last asked for a levy lid lift in 2011. Since then, the island population has increased 14%, and the Library has not been able to keep up with the service needs of our growing and changing population. With advances in technology, the public expects services, books, e-books and other materials in forms that increase in costs at a rate significantly higher than the rate revenues are allowed to grow. Originally planned for a period of six years, the Library stretched that levy over twelve years through careful fiscal management. But with the legal limitation of an annual 1% increase, the levy rate needs to be lifted to keep up with inflation and increasing costs.

A levy lid lift of $.41 per thousand dollars of assessed value would raise the annual tax on a home valued at $750,000 by approximately $113. For answers to frequently asked questions, please visit the Library’s website at https://www.sjlib.org/levylidlift/ or stop in at the Library, or call 360-378-2798.

Boyd C. Pratt

President, San Juan Island Library Board of Trustees

Laurie Orton

Director, San Juan Island Library