Library Levy Fact Sheet

1. Currently, 73% of county residents are active Library users. Kitsap Regional Library provides a wide variety of quality services for children, students, families and individuals county-wide through nine branches, the 24-hour online Library, outreach services and the Bookmobile.
   
   
2. Demands for Library service continue to grow each year. Since 2001, KRL has had a 67% increase in the number of residents actively using the Library: checking out books, DVDs and CDs, searching databases, utilizing reference services and more.
   
   
3. KRL is facing a 20% funding shortfall for basic Library operating expenses. If the measure fails, basic Library services will need to be cut to balance the funding shortfall in 2008.
   
   
4. The funding shortfall is due to the 67% increase in the number of residents actively using the Library, while Library revenues have only increased a total of 15.5% (3.1% annually) since 2001.
   
   
5. In recent years, the Library has implemented cost-saving strategies and utilized the majority of Library reserve funds to stretch limited resources without requesting additional levy revenue. These measures are no longer adequate to prevent funding shortfalls.
   
   
6. A diverse 16-member Community Advisory Committee representing business, civic and community leadership from around the county reviewed the Library’s financial options and recommended that the Library Board place a levy lid lift on the ballot. The levy lid lift will increase basic funding for Libraries back to a level that was in place prior to 2002.
   
   
7. The Library Board, after extensive community involvement and Library user input, has placed a measure on the May 15, 2007 ballot that will increase the Library levy rate from 30 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in 2007 to 48 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in 2008.
   
   
8. If passed, the Library levy would provide Kitsap Regional Library with stable funding that will allow the Library to maintain existing services and meet the increasing demands for service for the next five years.
   
   
9. Kitsap’s Libraries are great community investments. For every $1 of local support, the Library provides resources and services with a retail value of $8.39 – an average 839% return on investment for taxpayers!
   
   

Public Involvement in the Funding Solution

• The Library’s funding solution is the result of tremendous community involvement.
• The Library Board relied upon thousands of public comments gathered during 9 “Vision 2010” public meetings, 40 community leader interviews, 1,000 public surveys to define the Library services needed.
• Funding priorities were addressed at a dozen “Great Libraries” community discussions and specific input on funding priorities was gathered from 926 survey respondents.
• A diverse 16-member Community Advisory Committee reviewed the Library’s financial options and recommended that the Library Board place either a 48 or 50 cent lid lift on the spring ballot.

Tax Laws for Libraries

• Property taxes are the primary funding source for public libraries in Washington. Kitsap Regional Library receives 95% of its revenues from local property taxes.
• By state law, library districts may collect up to 50 cents for every thousand dollars of assessed value within the district.
• Library Districts are also limited to annual budget increases of no more than 1% over the prior year’s levy amount, plus new construction (RCW 84.55, Initiative 747).
• KRL levy-rate history:
  Prior to 2002, levy rate varied between $0.45 and $0.50 per thousand dollars of assessed value, and was capped at a 6% annual growth plus new construction.
        2002 – $0.48             2003 – $0.46              2004 – $0.45
        2005 – $0.42             2006 – $0.36              2007 – $0.30

 
Increasing Library Funding

• Kitsap Regional Library continues to be an excellent steward of the public funds invested in the Library.
• The Library provides services within its means.  In KRL’s 55 year history, the Library has asked voters for additional levy funding only once, back in 1979 voters approved a levy lid lift to support Library services.  
• Out of every property tax dollar levied in Kitsap County, 3.2 cents goes to Kitsap Regional Library to provide library services.

How Kitsap Regional Library Stacks Up

• KRL Ranked #2 out of 13 medium and large size libraries in Washington in the Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings 2006 report.
• Spending by the Library per capita is a good bargain: $33.97 per person, far lower than other library systems in Washington (2005 Washington Public Library Statistics Report).
• KRL ranks very high for “collection turnover” of its books, DVDs , CDs and other materials - 89 percentile nationally, an average item is checked out 5 times per year.
• Recently, voters passed similar measures to increase taxes for Library services in Pierce, Jefferson, Spokane, King, Snohomish and Island Counties.
  
  

In 2008, Additional Levy Funds Would Be Allocated To:

KRL Mission Statement:  Kitsap Regional Library serves the community as a center for lifelong learning and a steward of access to stories, information and knowledge

Board of Trustees: Jackie Aitchison, North Kitsap Representative (President); Teresa McDermott, Central Kitsap Representative (Vice President);

Anna Laurie, Bremerton Representative; Gail Mathison, South Kitsap Representaive; Althea Paulson, Bainbridge Island Representative