Library levy proposal defeated

COEUR d'ALENE — A tax levy proposal to support seven community libraries was nixed by voters during Tuesday's primary election.

A total of 5,264 (50.06 percent) voted in favor and 5,252 (49.94 percent) against.

The proposal needed 55 percent voter approval to pass.

The percent is derived from the network’s taxable value of $9,968,831.59.

Community Library Network sought a $4,979,940 levy spread over three years, which is estimated to cost $16.65 per year for taxpayers with a home valued at $200,000.

"The levy would have funded renovations to allow us to have flexible space in our buildings," Director John Hartung said on Tuesday. "We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of children attending our programs, an increase use of technology and a continuing need for active and quiet zones."

Libraries in the network are district libraries and include Athol, Spirit Lake, Rathdrum, Post Falls, Hayden and Harrison in Kootenai County, as well as the Pinehurst library in Shoshone County.

In 2005, the district passed a 20-year bond, for which residents with a home valued at $200,000 pay about $3.32 per year.

The network held community focus groups last year, which were attended by about 400 district residents. What they found, network administrators said, is each community had different priorities, and all except one are undersized by at least 50 percent.

The Harrison library is the only facility close to the national standard, which is 1-square-foot per resident in the service area. Hartung added the Athol Library is 159 percent undersized.

While most of the libraries are landlocked and therefore unable to expand outward, the board planned to maximize interior space. The money would also have gone to upgrading and modernizing the technology.