Libraries May Need Tax District to Survive

Friends of the Murray Hill Library held their annual meeting at Edgewood Bakery Tuesday, February 19th, to discuss the opportunities to educate and enhance public awareness about the 44-year-old library’s current petition to place a straw ballot on the Fall 2014 ballot. 25,977 petitions must be signed before Fall 2013 by registered voters in order for it to be proposed. President of Friends of the Murray Hill Library, Helene Kamps-Stewart, welcomed guests and introduced the new officers. Missy Jackson, Vice President of FMHL, shared a history of the Jacksonville Public Library. “Lifelong enrichment starts here,” said Jackson, who expressed a love for reading and encouraged more use of our library system. Her presentation showed that more than 165,000 children and teens attended a program sponsored by the Jacksonville Public Library; that’s nearly all the youth in Duval County. Enthusiasm like that for the library and learning in general are essential to keeping the library alive and operational. Still, efforts to sustain the system need to be made. Dr. Laura Lane of Jacksonville Community Council Incorporated expressed concern and offered relief alternatives over the funding in the form of the straw poll. The purpose of the poll is to allow residents the opportunity on a future ballot to choose whether or not Duval County should have a library district. It goes on to suggest that such a district, like those in Alachua and Orange Counties, is able to provide better stability in local libraries through an independent tax district. “The goal is to establish independent funding and governance within an independent tax district without increasing the millage cap.” JCCI believes that the Jacksonville Public Library must have operational control and contends that the best way to accomplish that is to follow the example of Alachua and Orange County which have proven attainable structure in stability and momentum within their districts. Petitions can be picked up now at the Murray Hill Library and signed petitions will be collected in Fall 2013 at early-voting library locations and at polling locations on Election Day, November 6, 2013.

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