Grafton-Midview Public Library levy should pass

Libraries are not immune to the challenges of rising costs, which is why the Grafton-Midview Public Library is asking voters to approve a replacement levy with an increase. Like the 1.25-mill levy it would supersede, the 1.5-mill replacement levy, identified on the ballot as Issue 20, would be permanent, or in electoral parlance "continuing." It would generate more than $1.4 million per year, which is a jump from the roughly $748,000 it brings in now. Library Director Adele Infante told us Tuesday that bringing in additional revenue was important in large part because of rising costs. "Health costs, the cost of books, the cost of e-books have gone up, and we can't keep up with our current levy," she said. Voters first approved the levy in 2011, and at the time the expectation was that it would be enough to cover the local share of the library's expenses for about a decade. Fourteen year later the library could use an infusion of additional revenue. This year, the library's budget is just shy of $1.6 million with about $834,000, or about 53 percent, anticipated to come from the state. However, libraries across Ohio are rightly concerned about the impact of a change in how the state allocates library funding that was included in the biennial budget passed in June. Rather than devote 1.7 percent of the state's general revenue fund to libraries, the budget allocated a fixed amount to libraries. While that means libraries know how much they will receive, it's reasonable to fear that state lawmakers could slash library funding in the future. Additionally, Infante said, the Grafton-Midview Public Library's leaders are considering returning to voters sometime in the next five years to ask for a bond issue that would cover the cost of either expanding the library or building a new one. She said it would be harder to ask voters to back a bond issue if the library couldn't afford to operate properly, including with a full staff, which means 25 employees. Right now, the library has 22 staff members, half of whom are part-timers. Although Grafton-Midview Public Library operates a small satellite branch in Eaton Township, the main branch in Grafton proper is too small to fully meet the needs of the community, Infante said. "We are bursting at the seams," she said. For example, Infante said that while the main branch has one small community room, it still managed to hold 404 programs last year. Additionally, 49,340 patrons crossed through the library's doors in 2024. Infante said patrons checked out 89,996 physical items and another 19,756 electronic items last year. The library also offers passport and notary services. It helped 456 people obtain passports and assisted with 203 notarizations last year. That's all on top of library staff fielding about 10,000 reference questions. The library also works with the state prisons in Grafton to lend books to prisoners and even runs two book clubs at Grafton Correctional Institution, Infante said. Given that the existing levy has already exceeded its anticipated lifespan by four years, we believe the library has been prudent and has a strong case for asking voters for a reasonable bump in financial resources. Under the existing levy, the owner of a home valued at $100,000 pays about $25 per year, according to Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass' office. Were Issue 20 to pass, that would jump by about $28 to a total of around $53 per year. Infante told us that library officials recognized that property taxes had increased, but that they want to make sure the library can continue to serve the community well for years to come. We agree, and urge voters in the Midview Schools district, which the library serves, to back Issue 20.