County library floats mill levy request

The Lincoln County Library is preparing to float a mill levy in November in order to separate its budget from the general fund.

Rick Ball, director of the Lincoln County library system, presented the draft ballot language and levy request to county commissioners on Wednesday. County commissioners Mike Cole and Greg Larson sent the request and ballot back to Ball for further clarifications, corrections and changes before making a decision to put the request on the ballot.

“The idea came up because we’re looking to stabilize our funding, because right now we’re only guranteed 3.49 mills, thats not enough to operate the libraries,” Ball said. 

That 3.49 mills comes out to $110,290.98 a year, Ball said, while the annual operating expenses cost about $400,000. Ball said he’s not yet sure how much the library will request in a mill levy if the measure is added to the November ballot, but expects to have nailed that number down by next week. 

“We have to look at past budgets, expenditures, revenue sources, what sources are still viable and the increase in costs. Revenue sources have decreased, too,” he said. 

The request comes just a month after voters approved the $4 million mill levy that Libby School District requested, the first levy to pass with voter approval in 14 years. 

Ball said he wants to separate the library budget from the general fund budget in order to stabilize the library’s funding. He said most departments make requests for money each year, but the library’s funding has dwindled in recent years as revenues fall and costs continue to rise.

“We’re operating on shoe string right now. I need to think of ways to stabilize the funding and I think the mill levy is a little more palatable,” Ball said. 

Larson said he and Cole asked Ball to resubmit the request this coming Wednesday, after establishing the mills needed and tightening up the language in the request.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.