Image from the Lakewood Memorial Library Facebook page.
WEST ELLICOTT – When voters in the Southwestern School District vote on this year’s budget, there will also be a referendum to establish a library tax for both the Lakewood Memorial Library and the Hazeltine Public Library in Busti.
The referendum calls for an annual library tax levy of $204,000, with $139,000 for Lakewood library and $65,000 for the Hazeltine library.
If approved, property owners throughout the school district would see a library tax rate of about $0.32 per thousand assessed value. That means a home valued at $75,000 would pay an annual tax of $24. The tax levy would be permanent but would not be able to be removed or adjusted without another public referendum.
State law requires the proposed creation of any library taxing district to be put up for a public vote by the school district in which the library is located.
Meanwhile, spending for the proposed budget for the 2018-19 school year is $28.69 million – an increase of $1.32 million from the current school year. It calls for a tax levy increase of .09 percent over the current year.
the district’s budget vote and Board of Education election will take place in the high school lobby from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
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