Marion library starts petition drive for levy increase

The Marion Public Library started a petition drive this week for a levy increase that will mainly pay for additional staff to serve the growing patronage of the library, which serves about 300,000 visitors a year.

The Marion Public Library Board of Trustees voted Tuesday at a special meeting to seek the library levy of 27 cents, which is a 23-cent increase. The levy hasn't been raised since 1989, when voters approved a 4-cent levy, library director Doug Raber said Friday. The 27 cents is the maximum levy for libraries in the state.

"I don't know why there hasn't been (an increase) in the past," Raber said. "I just think they haven't asked. Most libraries this size or larger across the state have the 27 cents, but I think Cedar Rapids still remains at 4 cents."

Raber also pointed out the impact of the proposed levy on a Marion property owner. "On a home valued at $100,000, that's an increase of $23, or a little bit less than the cost of a single hardcover book," he said. "We've been under pressure to keep up with Marion's rapid growth."

Raber said the circulation has grown every year over the last 10 years and hit just over 900,000 items in 2012. The library has 1,000 visitors a day and 300,000 a year.

The library patrons are not only Marion residents. They also come from rural Linn County and residents from the northeast and southeast neighborhoods of Cedar Rapids.

"After the flood in 2008, we got a bump from Cedar Rapids, but we continued to have residents from those neighborhoods closer to Marion," Raber said. "Those residents are more likely to come here than go downtown."

Raber said Marion's population is growing at a rate of about 1,000 new residents a year and is expected to hit 40,000 by 2020. Residents with young children and seniors  make up a lot of the growth, he said.

Raber said library leaders have to plan for the future, because the library is in the early planning stages for a renovation and expansion of the Uptown Marion building.  A committee was formed to discuss building needs and identify desirable features. Later this month, the library will host a public forum to begin getting public input and ideas.

In the short term, the levy will allow funding for architecture and design work based on the findings of the library's renovation and expansion committee, Raber said. There aren't many details of the expansion at this point, but in the long term the levy will provide additional staff for a larger library. There is also a need to hire staff to provide outreach services to places like daycare and senior centers.

Raber said in order to get the levy on the ballot this fall, a petition must be signed by at least 10 percent of the number of people who voted in the last general election, which is 1,138, and then it will be presented to the city council for approval. The council would then need to submit the petition to the county auditor by Sept. 20.

"To be on the safe side, we want to get 1,200 signatures," Raber said. "We only have about three weeks. It has to be turned into the city clerk by Aug. 28 or 29, so it can be considered in the Sept. 5 city council meeting. I think we have the strong support among our users and we're optimistic about it."

Raber said the Friends of the Marion Public Library and the Marion Public Library Foundation are leading the petition drive.