Kansas City’s Mid-Continent Public Library didn’t listen to voters in slashing levy

A thriving library system is essential to the community it serves. The Mid-Continent Public Library board of trustees didn’t get the memo, recently approving a tax cut that is expected to cost the the Kansas City-area library system $4.3 million in revenue in one year, according to library officials.

The loss of revenue will be felt immediately. Programming could be cut. Hours could be reduced. Some open positions may not be filled, library officials said. For some of society’s most vulnerable, less revenue could mean less access to vital resources that local libraries provide.

Last week, the 12-member board approved a proposal to reduce the library system’s revenue stream by millions, further eroding the public’s trust of a board that just months ago couldn’t agree on a budget.

The proposal from the board’s finance and audit committee, chaired by Trustee Gordon Cook, passed 8-3. One trustee was absent. By reducing its operating levy from 34.68 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 32.40 cents, the board reversed an increase approved by Jackson, Platte and Clay county voters in 2016 — the first in three decades.

Tax savings will average per year about $5 per property owner, according to library staff. Susan Wray, interim MCPL director, told us the library’s leadership opposed the levy cut.

Cook, the finance chair, has argued that the library should be able to absorb the results of the tax cut because its revenue from property taxes have jumped as the value of new and used cars has surged because of inflation. What he’s overlooking, however, is that those are temporary spikes due to an irregular market. A property tax cut is very long-lasting, if not exactly permanent. As noted above, when voters decided to give the library more money in 2016, it was the first levy increase in three decades.

What message did the board send to voters by adopting the proposal? The change is a serious reversal of voters’ intent in 2016. With 62.3% in favor, voters overwhelmingly approved a property tax increase to better support the libraries.

Voters wanted the library to further invest in the community, and its leadership has done just that. Several new library buildings have been built, and others are in the planning stages. Others have undergone major renovations. Resources and services have improved.

The local library is a forum for thought and intellectual freedom. Different communities have different needs. But everyone is, or at least should be, welcome to check out a book or movie, support a program, or use high-speed internet. As inflation rises, we’re mindful of any efforts to trim household bills. No doubt, that’s what’s been on Cook’s mind as he drafted this cut. But the voters’ decision to invest more in their library in 2016 was a wise one. Those same inflationary pressures affecting every taxpayer are bedeviling municipal budgets, too. The library’s costs are going up just like everyone else’s.

Tuesday’s vote on the tax levy did not recognize that. By approving the tax cut, The Mid-Continent Public Library’s board failed to honor the voters’ will and that should concern us all.

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 10:31 AM.