Garland County residents are circulating a petition for a countywide ballot measure to reduce the property tax that funds the local library after initially proposing to eliminate the tax completely.
The proposal would reduce the 1.6-mill tax, approved by county voters in 1998, to 1.0 mills. The current millage brings in roughly $3.6 million annually for Garland County Library maintenance and operations, library executive director Adam Webb said.
If successful, Garland County would be Arkansas’ second county in two years, after Craighead County, to vote to reduce its library system’s tax revenue.
Supporters of the petition introduced the new measure to counteract the spreading public opinion that they want the library to close, said George Pritchett, who has run for both Hot Springs and Garland County elected offices.
“The misconception was that we’re trying to do away with the library, and we’re not,” he said. “All we want to do is do away with the tax and leave it to the county to move forward with what they want to do.”
Pritchett and other supporters of the measure have said the library receives too much tax money and can function on its cash reserves, which total millions.
Webb said earlier this week that this is not true. He bases the library’s budget every year on “anticipated revenue,” which would be nonexistent if the property tax were abolished.
The proposed 0.6-mill tax reduction “would still have a significant impact on our ability to provide the same services” that the library currently provides, Webb said.
“There’s no easy place to cut over $1 million out of our budget because, as I mentioned earlier, we’re on a pretty tight budget from year to year,” he said.
The Garland County Library’s 2024 budget anticipated $4.1 million in revenue and $3.9 in expenses, leaving about $200,000. Webb said having some money left over is important “to make sure we have enough to pay the bills between tax settlements.”
Public libraries vs. quorum courts: an ongoing local conflict throughout Arkansas
Amendment 38 of the Arkansas Constitution requires at least 100 people to support any changes to a property tax that funds a local library and to submit the petition at least 30 days before the election in which they want the matter on the ballot.
Pritchett said the effort to reduce the Garland County library tax is based on the one in Craighead County in 2022, which was led by a group called Craighead Citizens Taxed Enough.
The narrowly-approved measure cut the county libraries’ funding in half, and the library system reduced its hours and made staff cuts to adjust to the budget cuts.
Webb said the Garland County Library might have to reduce its hours or limit its more expensive services if the amended ballot measure passes. He added that he would not be surprised if both proposed tax cuts are on the November ballot but is confident that neither would pass due to the library’s “great reputation” in the community.
“I’ve failed to ever hear someone say that the library needs less money until this last week,” Webb said.
