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Libraries find favor with Warren County voters

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By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer Updated 6:39 AM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Librarians across Warren County breathed a sigh of relief, Tuesday, Nov. 3, as levies for four of the county’s five library districts all passed.

Voters approved Lebanon’s 1-mill continuous levy by 4,945 to 4,344 (53.24 to 46.76 percent). The Mary L. Cook Library (Waynesville)’s 1-mill, 5-year levy passed 3,616 to 2,916 (55.36 to 44.64 percent). The Salem Twp. Library’s .5 mill-levy passed 6,382 to 5,942 (51.79 to 48.21 percent); the Franklin Library passed 8,664 (63.80 percent) to 4,916 (36.20 percent).

Libraries were forced to seek financial aid from property tax levies due to a combination of an increased demand in services coupled with a dramatic slashing of state funding over the past several years. Julie Florence, director of the Lebanon Library, said her funding had been cut from a high point of $1 million in 2001 to $627,000 in 2010. Linda Swartzel, director of the Mary L. Cook Public Library, said her funding had been cut by close to 50 percent in the past 10 years.

“We’ve just been getting by on a wing and a prayer for so long, we finally have a chance to breathe,” Florence said.

Libraries across the county had cut hours, workforce, and services in an attempt to stay afloat. Florence had been forced to cut in-house story sessions for pre-schoolers and worried she would have to cut the summer reading programs and book mobiles if the levy did not pass.

“We’re breathing a huge sigh of relief,” Swartzel said. “It’s been a couple months of intense work.”

Florence said she will use the levy money to not only restore cut services, but give the Lebanon area “the library it deserves.”

She said she plans on expanding the library’s basement into a new children’s library in the next three years and expanding library services in South Lebanon.

Swartzel was more cautious with her plans, saying she needed to work with the library board to best plan for their new revenue stream.

“We really feel in a year or so, this money could be the only assured funding for the library so we want to continue to be frugal and cautious with it,” Swartzel said.

Lebanon’s levy will raise $870,511 annually; Mary L. Cook will raise $564,800 per year, and Salem Twp. will raise $522,310 annually for five years.

Mason Library did not place a levy on the ballot.

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