Sno-Isle Libraries seeking operating levy increase; last district vote was 2009

The Sno-Isle Libraries Board of Trustees is putting a levy rate increase up for a vote in April.

The resolution passed on Dec. 11 places a levy on the ballot that would restore 9 cents to the library district’s regular operating levy, from 38 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to 47 cents. According to the library district, the property tax levy accounts for 98 percent of Sno-Isle Libraries’ funding.

The district began drawing from reserves three years ago, and it is expected that there will not be enough to maintain current services by the 2019 budget, and roughly $2 million in costs would need to be cut, and that is expected to be through personnel and material costs.

Voters will decide whether to increase the levy on April 24. The last time the library district went to voters was in 2009.

“Going to the voters is not a decision we take lightly,” said Board of Trustees President Marti Anamosa before the vote, according to a news release. “Libraries are vital to our communities. Addressing the levy rate now enables the library to continue providing the resources that are so important to our communities and customers.”

Sno-Isle Libraries serves 743,540 residents in Snohomish and Island counties through 22 community libraries, online services and Library on Wheels.