SHELBY — Shelby voters’ support of Marvin Memorial Library remains strong.
City voters approved a five year, 1.75-mill property tax renewal on the primary ballot Tuesday.
That renewal is not a new tax — it’s a continuation of existing support, which provides nearly half of the library’s annual budget.
According to final, unofficial vote totals from the Richland County Board of Elections, 568 voters were in favor of the measure, while 192 voted against it.
The five-year renewal will generate around $561,000 per year, helping to fund everything from WiFi hotspots to children’s storytimes and job-seeking resources. For the average homeowner, the cost will remain about $61 per each $100,000 of property value.
Thanks to voters’ approval Tuesday, the renewal will keep funding steady at Marvin Memorial Library through 2030.
First introduced 10 years ago, the levy helps fund additional services including:
- Free public computers, WiFi and circulating laptops.
- Outreach services and home delivery for residents who can’t visit in person.
- Children’s programming, homeschool meetups and educational tools.
- Materials like books, magazines, DVDs, games and digital databases.
- Staff and operations that keep the library running six days a week.
Combined with funding from Ohio’s Public Library Fund, public funding makes up over 90 percent of the library’s operating budget.
“This makes passing the levy even more important because we don’t know what our state and federal funding is going to look like yet,” said Aileen Stewart, president of the library’s Board of Trustees.
“If they drastically cut it, libraries without levies will probably cease to exist,” she said.
Stewart has been a member of the board for eight years, serving as president the past four.
“Libraries in general are important, but speaking for Shelby, our motto is, ‘We are the heart of the community.’ And I really believe that,” Stewart said.
