As we approach the April 7 election, I want to take a moment to share important information about Proposition RT and what it could mean for your Library and our community.
I recently marked my one-year milestone as the Library’s Chief Executive Officer. Over the past year, my focus has been simple: ensure our community continues to have reliable access to books, technology, programs, and spaces you depend on, while planning responsibly for the future.
To support these goals, we made thoughtful, strategic adjustments to align our resources with long-term sustainability, including:
- Reducing our workforce by 13% through attrition
- Reducing spending on books and digital materials by 9%
- Reducing capital spending by 70%
We have worked carefully to minimize the impacts to our patrons, but we acknowledge that reducing staff and spending less on the acquisition of materials has impacted our ability to fully meet the needs of the community. I appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we navigate these changes together.
The Library is funded primarily through local property taxes, which account for 93% of our revenue. For most households, the Library represents about 3% of the property tax bill and for a typical household is less than one hundred dollars per year.
As a general principle, I support efforts to keep taxes reasonable and ensure local governments, including libraries, remain accountable to the taxpayers. The Missouri Hancock Amendment, approved by voters on November 4, 1980, places important limits on Library’s ability to increase taxes, fees, and spending without voter approval. For example, any expansion of services or construction of new branches would require voter approval. At the same time, Hancock allows for modest, inflationary adjustments in revenue, enabling the Library to maintain current operations without returning to voters for routine cost increases.
By comparison, Proposition RT would apply additional constraints in 22 counties across the state (not all 144), including St. Charles County, by eliminating inflationary revenue growth. In effect, it would hold property tax revenues near 2024 levels by restricting increases tied to rising assessed values and inflation. As costs continue to rise over time, this approach would require the Library to seek voter approval more frequently to sustain existing service levels.
Placing an item on a countywide ballot is a significant undertaking, with estimated costs ranging from approximately $175,000 to $250,000 per election. As a result, requiring voter approval for routine, inflationary adjustments presents both financial and practical considerations for maintaining ongoing Library operations.
What Prop RT Means for Your Local Public Library
If passed, the average homeowner would see modest annual savings in the Library's portion of the property tax bill less than $6 per year on the average home valued at $310,000. However, the cumulative impact on your library would be significant:
- $444,000 in lost revenue in the first year alone
- $3.8 million in losses over five years
- Nearly $5 million in total reductions when combined with the Missouri Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit that is already in place
Our Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility
The St. Charles City-County Library has not asked voters for a tax increase since 1994. Since that time, St. Charles County has added close to 200,000 new residents.
While that growth has contributed to increases in library revenue, those increases have been incremental and capped by the Hancock Amendment.
Further reduction in funding will result in fewer:
- Story times and early literacy programs
- Service to daycares and senior living communities
- Access to digital resources and technology
- Books, resources, and services you rely on every day
As you consider Proposition RT ahead of the April 7 election, I encourage you to review the Library’s funding page for additional details and answers to common questions.
I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this information as you weigh the pros and cons of this important proposition. Decisions like these involve many factors, and your engagement in understanding the potential impacts is important to the future of our Library.
In closing, thank you for the grace you have extended to me during my first year as we navigate change and plan for the future. It is a privilege to serve our patrons and the St. Charles County community, and I have enjoyed seeing firsthand how the Library enriches lives every day. Your continued engagement and support help ensure the Library remains a vibrant, trusted resource that strengthens our community by fostering a lifelong love of learning, promoting literacy, and supporting personal growth for generations to come.
Sincerely,
John