Determine the Amount of Mills You Will Need Levied
State law requires that the territory included in a public library district contain a taxable value of at least $5 million. This requirement exists because we want libraries to survive and thrive. It's a lot of work to create a district, so it's important that you levy enough mills to truly fund your new district. You don't want to be in starvation mode before you have even started. You need your budget in order to begin the process of determining how many mills to ask for during the election.
Your clerk or treasurer can give you an idea of how much a mill is worth. If you have a good relationship with this person they probably can help you figure out how many mills you would need for your new district. If that is not the case s/he will hopefully share the value of a mill in the district territory. Once you have this information you can determine how many mills you need for your district. Refer to MCA 15-10-420 for information about calculating levies. Montana property tax laws determine maximums that can be levied each year. Tax laws are complicated, so contact your city clerk or treasurer for help.
Contact the local Department of Revenue office as soon as you decide to try and become an independent public library district. The Department of Revenue needs to know about new taxing jurisdictions. You can explain that the district needs to be voted on and established, but giving this local office notice should help in the long run.
Helpful Hint: Ask for more mills than you need. You have to decide on the best strategy for your community, but if you ask for more mills than you need it will give future boards the ability to raise more money for the library without going for a mill levy campaign. You may be better off asking only for the number of mills you need, but other districts have been successful at asking for more than they needed. These districts reassured voters that the board wasn't going to levy the full amount, but simply wanted it to be an option if the district needed more funding for additional services in the future.
ASPeN: The New Library Directory
- Home
- Introduction To Public Library Districts
- What Are Districts?
- Pros And Cons Of Library Districts
- Difference Between Library Districts And Other Types Of Libraries
- Who To Contact For Help?
- Exploring Library Districts and Gauging Support for a District Effort
- Research The Districting Option
- Decide on Whether or Not to Create A Committee To Explore District Option
- Decide on Boundaries and Name of the District
- Decide on Services the District Might Offer
- Create a Budget for the District
- Determine the Amount of Mills You Will Need Levied
- Talk to Local Government Officials
- Talk to Library Supporters
- Decide Whether or Not to Move Forward With the District Option
- Exploring Library Districts Checklist
- Forming a District Group - The Role of Local Government Officials and the New Board
- Create an Official District Planning Group/Committee
- Coordinating Local Government Efforts
- The New Board of Trustees
- Forming a District Group Checklist
- Special Considerations
- Planning for Facilities
- Funding For The First Year
- Accounting, Legal, Maintenance Costs
- Transfer Of Staff And Benefits
- Special Considerations Checklist
- Pursuing the District: Legal Options For Forming A District
- Option 1: County Commissioners Pass a Resolution Putting the Library District Issue on the Ballot
- Option 2: Create the district through a petition process and then a resolution by the County Commissioners
- Develop A Map And Description Of The Boundaries Of The New District
- Decide Upon The Maximum Mill Levy That You Want For The District
- Decide On The Number Of Board Members
- Decide On When You Want To Hold The Election
- Draft The Petition
- Circulate The Petitions And Supporting Materials
- The Hearing With The County Commissioners
- Legal Options Checklist
- Election Process
- Create an Election Committee
- Create an Election Calendar
- Create a Public Relations Plan and Design Public Relations Material
- Present Your Idea to the Community
- Get Out the Vote on Election Day
- Conducting the Election
- Results Certification, Canvassing, and the Creation Order
- Election Process Checklist
- Outcomes Of The Effort
- Success
- Election Fails
- Appendices