Residents will be asked in June to approve six new libraries

Angela Soo

Friday, March 16, 2001 | 11:54 a.m.

Henderson Library District board members Thursday approved placing a question on the June municipal ballot, asking voters to approve a tax hike to build six new libraries and improve existing ones.

The property tax increase is projected to raise $80 million over 30 years.

Property taxes would increase about $14 a year for a home worth $100,000, said Joan Kerschner, Henderson District Public Library director.

Henderson residents currently pay $17 a year in property taxes for library purposes, the lowest rate among municipalities in the Las Vegas Valley, Kerschner said.

"We have a population of 175,000 people with only 22,000 square feet of combined library space," Kerschner said. "That amount of space is only designed to serve 44,000 people.

"Children can't fit into the program rooms anymore. We used to get about 30 kids, but now we have close to 90 children who attend our programs."

The tax levy request comes as Henderson officials are considering a public safety initiative that would tax homeowners an additional $850 million over 30 years to hire more than 200 new police and fire personnel. The public safety tax, which could be approved by the City Council for the June 5 ballot, would cost an additional $84 annually for the owner of a $100,000 home.

"We are short about 100 police officers," Valerie Klein, Henderson Police public information officer, said.

Kerschner acknowledges that now might not be the best time to raise taxes for library purposes, but the library board wants to continue its support for a strong reading environment that meets the growth level of the community.

"There are different priorities in this city, but our only source of funding is through levying taxes. We are an independent library district that doesn't get any money from the city or Clark County," Kerschner said.

Kerschner said the number of library patrons continue to grow despite the district's previous concerns about how the Internet would affect book circulation.