The Kennett Library (aka the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library) is once again asking New Garden Township residents to approve a library tax referendum. Voters in Kennett Township and East Marlborough Townships approved a similar tax years ago, but so far New Garden residents have rejected it. (When I served on the library board in the 1990s and we ran an unsuccessful referendum, the main objection from New Garden residents seemed to be that most of them live so close to Delaware that they used the Hockessin Library rather than the Kennett one.)
A "yes" vote on the referendum on Tuesday, Nov. 7, would mean increasing New Garden's current 1.62-mill real estate tax by 0.1000 mills. That would mean an annual increase of $20 for a resident whose home is assessed at $200,000, $30 for an assessment of $300,000 and $40 for an assessment of $400,000.
The library board's argument is that a dedicated library tax provides a predictable, stable source of funding. Relying exclusively on fundraising, in contrast, is "costly, uneven, time consuming and puts the operating costs on a small number of givers. That model is rarely sustainable in developed areas like ours and throughout Chester County which uses libraries heavily and expects an extensive and very professional array of services."
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