Seattle voters will decide whether to renew a library levy in the August primary election. The measure is critical to maintain library services, but it comes with a hefty price tag that some officials say could affect funding for future city projects. Ballots must be dropped off or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Aug. 4.
The city is asking voters to renew a tax that would generate nearly $480 million for the library system’s 27 branches over seven years. The levy accounts for roughly a third of the library’s budget. If passed, the average annual cost for owners of a median-value home is estimated at $193 per year.
Nearly half of the levy would cover basic library operations, such as staffing and social service referrals. A big chunk of money would go toward building maintenance, including window repairs, heating and cooling system upgrades and seismic retrofits for the Columbia and West Seattle branches. It would also help expand services such as early learning programs, physical and digital collections and English language learning classes.
But some city officials and news outlets have criticized the cost and said it could hamstring funding for other city projects.
Brian Lawrence, the chair of the campaign for the library levy, said if the levy fails there could be a reduction in branches and operating hours, and it would also prolong wait times for books and materials.
“It covers 30% of the library’s operating budget and 25% of the staff,” he said. “There is no way that you can sort of trim around the edges and make up that kind of revenue, it will definitely have devastating consequences.”
Lawrence, who is also the CEO of the Seattle Public Library Foundation, said the majority of the funding request — 71% — continues services that library users asked for in 2019, such as expanded hours, capital improvement projects and updating physical and digital collections.
“Plus the city has asked the library to take some cuts over the last few years — what they call budget offsets — and so this levy will bring those back,” he said.
The library gets up to 65% of its budget from the city’s general fund. In recent years, the city has faced budget shortfalls that forced it to cut funding to certain services, including the library.
Lawrence said over the past five years the library system has absorbed about $13 million in cuts, which has forced it to hit pause on certain projects. Some of that delayed work is now being added to this levy, which is part of the reason why it has ballooned since the last library levy in 2019, which was $219 million and was approved by 76% of voters.
This year’s big request is raising other concerns.
An approved library levy of this size would push the city closer to its levy limit, which is set by state law. The city’s levy limit is currently set at $3.60 per $1,000 of assessed home value. Passing this levy would bring the city’s total amount to $3.14 per $1,000 of assessed home value and in turn could impact how much the city could ask voters to tax themselves to fund other public services, such as roads, schools and affordable housing projects.
All eight city councilmembers in April approved sending the measure to the August ballot, but they urged caution about how the levy could hamstring paying for future projects.
At that time, Councilmember Maritza Rivera was concerned about the cost to voters and about the city nearing its levy limit.
“Obviously, now we didn’t leave very much for the subsequent future levy renewals that we will have to do,” she said, noting that the Seattle housing levy will expire in 2030. “You heard people coming to chambers today talking about the tiny home proposal — the mayor’s tiny home proposal — and how are we going to fund that ongoing? I have no idea.”
According to data provided by the City Budge Office, the estimated remaining levy capacity would be nearly $177 million if the library levy is approved. Election rules restrict what elected officials can say about ballot measures that are before voters, but Rivera spoke with KNKX on Monday specifically about the city’s remaining levy limit.
“It’s not a lot of money in the scheme of, if you think about the prior levies that we’ve done have doubled or more than doubled,” Rivera said. “I feel like the last three levies have more than doubled.”
Some Seattle voters are balancing that caution with a desire to support libraries.
“I adore the libraries. I use them all the time,” said Maralyn Crosetto, a homeowner in the Seattle area, though she thought the levy was too high. “Of course I want to support them, and I probably will say yes, but I don’t want to.”
Crosetto blamed Washington state for not having a more robust income tax and for not providing a fairer tax system.
“Until we get a different tax structure, these levies have less and less chance of passing because more and more people cannot tolerate the continual rise in their property tax,” she said. “It’s just too much.”
Denby Barnett, another Seattle homeowner, said he hasn’t given the levy limit much thought.
“I’m afraid we’re almost knee-jerk levy approvers,” he said. “The question is, where do we make our investment, and how well do we use it? And I think this is a worthwhile investment to make.”
