Tax hike to build libraries reaches Henderson ballot

Jeffrey Libby

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2001 | 11:45 a.m.

With three libraries to serve a population of 170,000, the Henderson District Public Libraries says it can't adequately serve residents.

This morning the five-member library board voted unanimously to place a question on the June ballot asking voters to approve a 4-cent tax override that would cost homeowners an additional $14 annually for a $100,000 home.

The library board, which is appointed by the Clark County Commission, does not have a mandate to serve about 30,000 residents of Green Valley. Those residents use a Las Vegas-Clark County district library.

The 4-cent tax hike would allow the Henderson library district to build and operate six new libraries, renovate the main library on Water Street and develop three cooperative facilities.

The proposed rate hike would be added to the current 5 cents charged per $100 of assessed valuation, an 80 percent increase. The city of Henderson provides no funding for libraries.

"Quality of life means a lot of different things. It means feeling safe and secure in your neighborhood, but it also means having a good educational experience and having a good cultural experience," Joan Kerschner, director of Henderson public libraries, said.

With just 22,000 square feet of library space to serve a town of 80 square miles, one of the primary experiences offered by the district now is long drives in heavy traffic.

"You can't just pop by the library," Kerschner said.

The district recently identified 15 cities nationally of comparable size and found that Henderson ranked last in number of libraries, available books, and use of library materials, Kerschner said.

In Nevada, Henderson ranks one up from the cellar in collection size per capita.

And though national guidelines suggest 1 square foot of library space for every two people, Henderson crams about nine people into the same space.

That situation should improve with the addition of the 42,000-square-foot Paseo Verde library in Green Valley, set to go to bid next month.

If the initiative passes, Kerschner, said the district would build new libraries in the River Mountain and Pittman areas first.

"Kids (in those areas) often don't have as many computer resources at home," Kerschner said.

The library district last asked for and won new funding when the rate increased from less than 2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to the current 5 cents. The district used the added funding to pay for construction of the James I. Gibson library on Water Street.

Even with the additional 4-cent tax hike, Henderson residents would be paying the lowest bill for public library services in the Las Vegas Valley. Boulder City, to the south, has the highest in the valley, at 18 cents per $100 valuation.