Thurston County homeowners would pay about $4.92 more per month in property taxes if voters approve a Timberland Regional Library levy lid lift on the Nov. 3 ballot.
That works out to $59 a year for a home at the county's median assessed value of $457,400, according to figures TRL shared at its first public information session Thursday, Sept. 10, at the downtown Olympia branch.
About 10 people attended.
The five-county library district, headquartered in Tumwater, is asking voters to raise its property tax rate from 22 cents to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
If approved, total property tax revenue would jump by $14 million, from roughly $26 million to $40 million, interim Executive Director Andrea Heisel told attendees.
Property taxes account for 96% of TRL's budget.
Earlier TRL estimates put the annual cost between $53 and $69 depending on the median home value used.
The $59 figure reflects the district's most recent public materials.
A $3.8 million hole
The levy comes after a year of deep cuts. TRL faced a $3.8 million budget shortfall this year because expenses outpaced property tax revenue, which state law caps at 1% annual growth without a voter-approved lid lift.
The district eliminated 100 positions between 2021 and 2026 across its 29 branches and five bookmobiles, Heisel said in an August Q&A with the Nisqually Valley News.
In all, TRL trimmed about $3.69 million through collection cuts, unfilled vacancies, layoffs, an administrative salary review and furlough days for non-represented staff.
Former longtime Executive Director Cheryl Heywood resigned, and Heisel replaced her. The district's required 30% reserve fund has been shrinking year over year, Heisel told the Sept. 10 audience, leaving TRL unable to cover bills before the first tax disbursement arrives in late March or early April.
It is the first time in more than 17 years that TRL has sought to raise its levy rate. A 2009 attempt failed narrowly.
If it passes, if it fails
Heisel outlined two paths. If voters approve the measure, TRL says it will restore open hours and staffing, resume facility maintenance funding, expand library collections and reduce wait times.
If the levy fails, the district warned of significantly reduced hours, cuts to its Anywhere Library mobile services, a smaller digital collection and longer waits.
TRL could have sought the statutory maximum of 50 cents per $1,000 but settled on 35 cents. The rate would hold for 2027 and 2028, then begin declining.
Voices from the room
Areya Kugler, a former TRL employee who worked at the Shelton and Olympia branches for three years before taking a voluntary layoff, attended the Sept. 10 session. She said she plans to vote yes.
"For me, that feels like a path of just like libraries dying … and so I'll be voting 'yes' because I would love to see a healthy functioning library," Kugler said.
The TRL Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Wednesday, July 22, to place the measure on the ballot. Board President Brian Mittge said at that meeting that the district faces a stark choice between substantial cuts and a voter-approved tax increase, telling the Nisqually Valley News the levy would let TRL continue services residents expect.
Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope signed up to write the sole "against" argument in the voter's guide.
A draft Thurston County Commissioners resolution supporting the levy appeared in the board's Sept. 1 business meeting agenda packet. Whether the resolution has been formally adopted could not be confirmed from available records.
What's next
TRL plans at least 15 public information sessions before the election. The next is scheduled for 1–2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Packwood branch in Lewis County. Ballots go out Oct. 16.
