Greene County library levy appears to be passing in early voting

Thousands of votes remain to be counted.

The one-mill library levy would fund library materials, operations, programs and services. The library last passed an operating levy in 2014.

The levy would cost property owners $35 annually per $100,000 of appraised value, and would run for 10 years.

The library levy is one of a few property tax asks on Greene County residents’ ballot this November, including a public health levy.

The Greene County Public Library recently completed a major renovation on the Xenia Community Library, the last of a series of major renovations to its buildings over roughly the last two decades. The money for the Xenia library renovation came from the library’s cash reserves.

If the levy fails, the library would look at cutting staff and hours, according to the library’s website. If and when those cuts would occur would be a decision by the library’s board of trustees, based on the library’s finances and the outcome of the vote, Jeff Brock, who serves on the Greene County Library Levy Committee, previously told the Dayton Daily News.

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

There are seven locations part of the Greene County Public Library system: Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Cedarville, Fairborn, Jamestown, Xenia, and Yellow Springs. In addition to these branches, there is also a makerspace called Spark Place.

According to library data, 64% of Greene County residents have library cards, which amounts to more than 100,000 people, and library users borrow more than 2.5 million items annually. Usage of the library’s digital circulation items has quadrupled in the last ten years, according to library data. Additionally, Spark Place, the library’s makerspace, hosts 4,000 patrons a month.