No one attended a public hearing Friday, Aug. 31, on the Grayson County Public Library’s proposed tax increase for 2012.
The library’s board of trustees is considering increasing the tax rate .6 cents, to a total of 6.6 cents per $100 assessed property value.
For the owner of a house with an assessed value of $60,000, that would translate to an increase of $3.60 — for a total library tax of $39.60.
The board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, when a vote on the tax increase is expected.
If approved, the new rate — a 4 percent increase — will generate about $659,131 for the library district, about $75,000 more than last year. The revenue from taxes on personal property is expected to be a little over $167,000.
In seeking the increase, the board said it needs more money to offset “the rising cost of books, library materials, technology, equipment, planned facility growth and building maintenance.”
The board is trying to raise additional funds to help bankroll the county’s new library, the plans for which were detailed to Grayson County Fiscal Court last month.
The new library will be located on about five acres across the street from the new Judicial Building, and will have complimentary architecture and brick coloring as the Judicial Building.
At just under 14,000 square feet, it is designed to expand the services and selection offered to the community, and is in keeping with the general size recommendations put forth by the state for a community with a similar population.
In addition to having an open, fluid layout with areas for adults, kids and teens, the building will boast some new convenience features — such as a drive-through where patrons can drop off books or pick up books that they have reserved.
The exterior will include patio space, and there will be 85 parking spaces as well as designated staff parking.
The design for the building also takes future expansions into consideration, with floor-to-ceiling window openings that would allow a new space to be tied in without significantly changing the exterior of the building or extensive masonry work.
The library board is working with financial advisers from Hilliard Lyons to determine the best fiscal route to take with the construction. Construction costs are expected to come in at just under $2.8 million, and there will also be equipment and furniture expenses.
There is currently no date set for groundbreaking, but construction documents should be wrapped up in October, and bids should be advertised before the year’s end.
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