Beyond the three statewide amendments, the November 3 ballot features three local questions for Palm Beach County voters. That includes whether to approve a $175 million bond to help pay for a major expansion of the county library system.
The roughly $326 million plan includes a new flagship library, a civic gathering space, and a digital media hub. This marks the first major library vote in over two decades.
WLRN’s Wilkine Brutus spoke with Palm Beach County Library Director Douglas Crane about what is included in the proposal and what it could mean for homeowners.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WLRN: Voters last approved major library expansion bonds back in 1986 and 2002, so it's quite a long time ago. What is the Library Expansion Program 3, and why is now the right time to bring a new library expansion plan to Palm Beach County voters?
CRANE: The 2002 expansion program, our second one, allowed us to renovate every building in the system. We replaced three old buildings with new buildings, we expanded three buildings, and we also added three new branches into the system, so it was a major increase in library services across the county
But that 2002 is now over 24 years old. So, and if you look at our cycle, it's about every 20 to 25 years, that we would consider coming back to our residents to seek their support for the next round of library expansion, whether that's renovations, replacements, or new construction.
WLRN: This particular bond covers roughly half of the total cost strictly for capital projects but not operating costs or salaries. How will the remaining $151 million balance beyond this 175 million bond request be funded?
CRANE: The other source of funding that we can get is called impact fees, and these are fees paid by developers whenever they build something new.
So the 2002 bonds that were approved by voters at 69% support, they were used to fund expansion program too, and the last of the bond dollars were used up with the final project in 2015. Since then, we've been using that combination of library district funds and impact fees to pay for things such as the new Canyon branch in Western Boynton.
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WLRN: You estimate the cost to be $6 per 100,000 of taxable property value, starting no earlier than fiscal year 2030. Can you break down what this actually means for the average Palm Beach County homeowner in terms of out-of-pocket costs?
CRANE: If you have a home that is $400,000 in assessed value, it would be $24 a year on the property tax bill. And that's it, just $24 for the year to cover the cost of Library Expansion Program 3 for that property. Now, obviously, the more expensive the property, the higher, the less expensive, the lower.
WLRN: Florida voters will also be deciding on Amendment 3 this November, a statewide ballot measure that proposes significant, uh, property tax cuts by expanding homestead exemptions and capping assessment increases. How would those potential budget constraints impact your ability to operate and, uh, staff these new expanded branches? A- and does it put the broader $326 million expansion program at risk?
CRANE: Because the library district is its own taxing district, it's very easy for me to see what the projected impact would be.
So the property appraiser estimated at the 250,000 exemption level, with the current millage rate and current valuation of property, the library would see a 28% reduction in revenue. That is from what the taxable value would be if there was no exemption to what the $250,000 exemption would do .
There are three basic pots of money we have. We divide it into operations, divide it into reserves, and we divide it into capital. Any reduction in revenue would come out of those three areas. How we would do that yet, I do not know. we are gonna have to look at our budgets for the next fiscal year and, and future fiscal years very closely if Amendment 3 does pass.
NOTE: Palm Beach County voters will see two more questions on the ballot that are separate from candidate races.
The first question asks voters to approve $280 million in property taxes to upgrade and expand local parks, beaches, and sports facilities. And the other question asks whether to renew an existing school property tax for four more years to fund campus safety, mental health resources, and teacher pay.
For more information on the November mid-terms, visit the Palm Beach County's Supervisor of Elections website.
