Voters in North Little Rock face choice on tax hike for library system

FILE — Shelbie Reed, a library associate, restocks shelves at the William F. Laman Public Library main branch in North Little Rock in this Feb. 3, 2023.
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
FILE — Shelbie Reed, a library associate, restocks shelves at the William F. Laman Public Library main branch in North Little Rock in this Feb. 3, 2023. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)


Early voting to decide whether to increase North Little Rock's library system millage rate from 3 to 5 mills will begin on Tuesday.

The ballot for the Feb. 14 election states that money from the increased millage will "be used for the maintenance and operation of the public libraries in the city of North Little Rock."

This is the first request in 20 years for an increase in the amount of taxpayer funding the library receives.

The city's library system has two branches -- the William F. Laman Public Library main branch at 2801 S. Orange St. and the Argenta Branch Library at 420 Main St. The main branch includes a genealogy room, a full-service passport facility and an art gallery, according to the North Little Rock Public Library System website.

Crystal Gates, executive director of William F. Laman Public Library, said that the library will receive half a penny on $1 of taxable home value. The proposed plan would cost the owner of a $150,000 home in North Little Rock $5 more a month.

Infrastructure updates such as new plumbing, flooring, roofing and landscaping are "desperately needed," as the Laman Library building is 60 years old.

Accessibility for children using the all-inclusive playground next to Laman is also a need.

"The No. 1 request we have is to increase our hours," Gates said. "We hear that and we want to make that possible."

The raise in millage would do just that and allow for the library to be open later on Fridays and Saturdays.

The special election for the millage increase equates to the library re-joining the 21st century, Gates added. In the past 10 years, the cost of audio books have doubled and e-book purchasing options have changed from owning access to limited leasing, which must be renewed at an additional cost.

"Many of our society members switched to digital during the pandemic, and they have not switched back," she said. "They now know how to use that technology and they've embraced it fully. ... Our electronic usage is just continuing to go up and up and up. And so the more expensive materials is what's circulating the most, so that's good; that's where you get your best return on investment."

A $31 million return in value after property taxes to be exact, Gates said.

The library system wants to provide more technology in their Maker's Space areas with studio equipment for podcasts, music recording and video editing. Gates noted that the library's sewing and quilting class sizes have grown and participants will need more equipment.

"We want to provide essential skills, especially to families that inflation has hit really hard," she added.

Expanding study spaces by adding rooms on the children's floor for students is also a goal, as many entrepreneurs rent the upstairs rooms to conduct business.

The library system also wants to have a state-of-the-art mobile library.

"We are proud to have our own, award-winning library in North Little Rock and are looking forward to expanding their outreach to underserved neighborhoods with a new mobile library," said North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick in a statement of support for the millage increase. "The libraries in our city have created innovative ways to maximize the return on investment for our citizens. The millage increase will allow the North Little Rock Libraries to continue to provide unique and educational opportunities for our entire city."

If voters pass the raise in millage, the library will start collecting money in 2024 and make infrastructure and accessibility its main priorities. Gates said if voters do not approve the raise, the library will have to ask the community again in another election.

Property taxes in Arkansas provide much of the funding for public schools. Depending on the county or where a person lives within a county, the taxes may also pay for other things, such as libraries and sewer systems.

Counties in Arkansas assess property at 20% of the appraised value. The assessment is multiplied by the millage rate to determine the taxes owed. A mill is one-tenth of a cent or 0.001 of a dollar. Each mill is charged against each dollar of assessed value and would therefore produce $1 of tax for each $1,000 of valuation.

A North Little Rock property owner pays 66.8 mills in property taxes overall -- including 48.3 mills for the North Little Rock School District, 5 mills for the municipal general fund, and 1 mill each for the police and fire pension funds, according to the Pulaski County treasurer's office.

A 2-mill property tax increase for the library would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $40 a year and the owner of a $50,000 home would pay an additional $20 a year.

Total property taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home would go from $1,336 to $1,376 if the 2-mill proposal is adopted by voters. The owner of a $50,000 home would see the tax bill increase from $668 to $688 a year.

In November 2021, Little Rock voters approved increasing the millage rate that funds operations and maintenance at the Central Arkansas Library System from 3.3 to 3.8 mills. Library officials sought the operational millage increase -- the first such increase approved in Little Rock since 2007 -- because of costs associated with new facilities and electronic materials as well as a shift away from relying on capital-improvement bond revenue to cover the materials budget.


photo North Little Rock Early Voting Sites


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