Timberland library levy on Nov. 3 ballot: What Proposition 1 would cost and what the library says is at stake

Thurston County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to raise the property tax that pays for Timberland Regional Library, the five-county system that runs the Lacey Timberland Library on College Street SE.

Proposition 1, a levy lid lift, would reset the library district's rate from $0.228924 to $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2027 and 2028, according to the explanatory statement in the Thurston County Auditor's voters' pamphlet. It needs a simple majority to pass.

What it would cost. The pamphlet's example: a home valued at $334,000 would pay about $40.44 more a year, or $3.37 a month. The library's levy page estimates about $59 a year, or $4.92 a month, for a Thurston County home at the 2025 median assessed value of $457,400.

The 2028 levy amount would become the base for future increases, which state law limits to 1% a year.

Background. The district can collect up to 50 cents per $1,000, but a 1% cap on annual growth has lowered its rate to about 22 cents, according to the library. Property taxes make up 96% of its budget. The district cut about $3.69 million this year after a budget shortfall, Interim Executive Director Andrea Heisel said in August.

If it passes or fails. According to the explanatory statement, approval would pay to keep services, staffing, collections and open hours. If the measure fails, it says, further cuts to staffing, books and materials, hours, online services, bookmobile service and programs would begin in 2027, and building maintenance could be delayed. The library's levy page adds that branches with its Expanded Access system would rely on unstaffed, card-access-only hours.

The arguments. The pamphlet's argument for the measure, from the TimberStrong Libraries Committee, calls it "a long overdue cost-of-living raise" after a quarter-century.

The argument against, from Citizens for Accountable TR Libraries, says the library should first show it has cut costs, sought grants and partnerships and managed existing money well. "Voting 'No' is not a vote against libraries or literacy," it says.

Ask questions. Library administrators will hold a drop-in session from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Lacey Timberland Library, 500 College St. SE. Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. Nov. 3.