Several ask for name to be taken off of petition.

A group of people showed up to the public hearing for the Magoffin County Public Library, expressing hesitancy for the proposed 4 percent increase in the tax rate.

Library Board Chairperson David May said the people who showed up, along with the 146 people who signed a petition against the tax increase, had questions about the type of tax affected by the proposal, as well as how much that will affect individuals.

The Library Board must meet each year and vote on the tax rate, which is determined by the Certified Property Assessment figures from the Kentucky Department of Revenue. The Board can decide to take the compensating rate, predetermined by the Department of Revenue, or take a 4 percent increase, which requires a public hearing.

Library Director Melanie Cain said they have never chose to take the 4 percent since she has been at the library, but are considering it this year due to costs related to the renovation of the old Salyersville First Baptist Church to the new library.

May said he discussed the decision with Wayne Onkst of Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, who told him that taking the 4 percent would help the library qualify for lower interest rates for loans and more eligible for grants by showing they are trying to generate revenue for the renovations, not just expecting the State to pay for it.

The compensating rate is 5.2 cents per $100, while the 4 percent increase is 5.4 cents per $100 paid in property taxes. The current rate is 4.8 cents, while last year the rate was 4.9.

Library taxes come from property taxes and do not affect utility bills.

At the public hearing Judge Executive Dr. Charles Hardin expressed concerns over the tax increase during hard economic times for the county, but Cain said that is when the county needs the library most.

“A library is a place that thrives in hard economic times,” Director Cain said. “You can come here, bring your family, check out books, movies, use free Internet services and see where your money is actually going.”

Cain said many libraries take the 4 percent increase every year as a “cost of living,” as well as all libraries with ongoing projects.

Before the public hearing, Cain said she received no phone calls or questions about the tax, so the turnout baffled her.

May said he believes people were opposed to the tax rate because they did not know what it was and were scared of the idea of “raised taxes,” but the actual increase is not that different.
One man at the meeting paid $24 in library taxes last year, May said, which boils down to around one dollar more with the 4 percent increase.

Since the public hearing, Cain said she has received phone calls and visits from people who had signed the petition against the tax rate wanting to remove their names from the list because the information was not represented clearly, leading them to believe utility bills and occupational taxes would increase.

Though the proposed 4 percent increase will add an anticipated $5,000 - $7,000 revenue to the library, this cost will be dispersed throughout the county.

The Library Board was required by the State to have the public hearing before voting on taking the 4 percent increase, which is on the agenda for the next board meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday, September 7.