The Provo City Council faces a tough decision. Our beloved Provo City Library is facing an $800,000 shortfall, and they have asked us to consider raising the property tax rate dedicated to the library. Last year, the library warned us of an impending shortfall and laid out a request to increase their rate at a more moderate rate each of the next five years. We agreed to the first of those modest increases last year (less than $3 a year per average household), but the five-year plan now appears insufficient to cover their expenses.

It is a fair question to ask: Why is their revenue suddenly insufficient? Is there some mismanagement of funds or some need for more creative and efficient effort internal to the library that could fix the problem, instead of going to the public to ask for more revenue? Can’t we make up the difference with increased fees? The council has spent the last several weeks investigating. We have seen no evidence of mismanagement, and fee adjustments will not come close to closing the gap. In fact, we have seen evidence of a resilient and creative staff that has, for years, made Provo Library one of the great gems of our city and our state. The library stands head and shoulders above most public libraries in the state in terms of services offered and in terms of per capita use. We are fortunate that citizens before us saw the wisdom of preserving the wonderful building where it is now housed and ensured sufficient funding at the time.

That funding is no longer sufficient, however. By wise design, the library has its own dedicated portion of property tax, comprising 87% of its annual budget. This assures a reliable and steady source of revenue that isn’t subject to the whims of changing city councils. Until last year, the library’s tax rate had not been increased in over 20 years. That means that even though property values increase over time, the actual yearly revenue for the library has remained relatively flat and has failed to keep up with inflation. In fact, over more than two decades, it has resulted in a decrease of its buying power. In essence, if the city approved a $100 annual budget for the library in 2000, that would now be worth only $55. In the early years, the revenue exceeded costs and the library was able to create a generous savings account. But as the years went on, as costs began to exceed revenue, we dipped into those savings, effectively masking the problem. Those savings are now almost gone. As our Library Director Carla Gordon recently put it, Provo citizens have been getting more library these many years than we have been paying for.

It is time we pay for it. The library board has already proposed a $300,000 reduction in their operating expenses, but they still need $500,000 of revenue to prevent laying off an already overworked staff and cutting back on operating hours in the evenings and weekends, when many of our citizens most need the library services. The proposed increase would amount to an increase of slightly less than $12 a year per average household, more or less the cost of one movie ticket.

City Council members are loath to increase taxes. One indication of whether or not we are overtaxing our citizens is the mill rate. The mill rate tells us how much property value a taxing entity is leveraging for their revenue. The library’s mill rate is about 40% of its maximum rate, meaning that they are below average. The mill rate for the city’s portion of property tax is an astonishingly low 8%. In other words, the city isn’t overtaxing its citizens. And in comparisons of cost per citizen, the proposed increase keeps us close to state and national averages for public libraries.

I fully recognize, of course, that any increase is a lot to ask, especially for those on a fixed income. Such citizens can appeal for relief. But the truth is that expenses have increased for libraries and city services, just as they have for individuals and families. If we do not help the library’s revenue to keep pace with inflation, we are slowly strangling it to death. No change year after year is simply unsustainable and financially unwise.

Do we want a library? Do we need one? Do we want a library that offers benefits to our community worthy of the beautiful building it occupies? The Provo City Library brings the community together, it serves citizens in our city with educational resources they otherwise could not get, and it elevates and improves the lives of children, adults and the elderly. To continue its legacy, the library needs reliable and sufficient public funds. I believe such support comes naturally to a fair-minded and generous community, something we all know Provo to be. At our truth-in-taxation Hearing next Tuesday, I intend to vote yes on the increase.

George Handley represents District 2 on the Provo City Council.