The Johnson County Public Library wants to raise income taxes to replace its oldest and smallest branch, but that decision is in the hands of county officials.
The library system wants to raise about $8.8 million via a 2.5-cent property tax hike — to 9.5 cents from 7 — on homeowners for every $100 of assessed value to build a new Clark-Pleasant branch. The tax hike would affect those who live within the Johnson County Public Library’s geographic boundaries, which includes most of Johnson County except for Edinburgh and parts of Greenwood, which have their own library systems.
The library has $1.4 million saved for the new building, but would need the rest of the project cost funded through a tax increase, said Lisa Lintner, executive director.
The new branch could possibly double the size of the library at up to 20,000 square feet, if funding allows. The current branch on Tracy Road is about 10,000 square feet.
The new library would include an expanded community meeting room, study rooms, a designated area for teenagers, an early childhood learning center and a learning lab. The new branch would be located somewhere south of Tracy Road and north of Main Street in Whiteland, Lintner has said.
The current branch, located on Tracy Road in Whiteland, does not have the space needed to accommodate the number of patrons who visit in a rapidly-growing part of the county. Library officials have said events such as story times fill up fast, meaning not everyone who is interested can attend.
The Johnson County Public Library initially asked the Johnson County council for approval in March, but the request got tabled continuously as the county prioritized funding roads and expanding its overcrowded jail. In June, the council approved a 1.2 percent income tax hike to pay for the jail expansion.
Despite the recent increase in tax burden on Johnson County residents, the time is now to fund the new library branch, Lintner said.
“We’re just making sure the project remains on scope as much as possible,” Lintner said. “With any construction project, the more time that passes, the higher the project cost is going to be (with inflation).”
The county council is also considering how to fund improvements to local roads, and whether that funding can somehow be tied to funding the new library, Lintner said.
“We respectfully understood they have big decisions they’re making, and back in March, we understood it would take time to figure out both the jail and the roads in our conversation with the council,” Lintner said. “We’re asking them now to consider the project for approval.”
If the project is approved, it would take a year and a half to two years to get the new branch up and running, Lintner said.
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The Johnson County Public Library will ask the Johnson County Council to raise property taxes by 2.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value. The tax will apply to every homeowner living in the library’s geographic boundary, including all of Johnson County except Edinburgh and parts of Greenwood.
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What: Johnson County Council meeting
On the agenda: funding for a new Clark-Pleasant library branch
Where: Courthouse west annex, 86 W. Court St., Franklin
When: 6 p.m. Monday
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