This is how public library budgets are cut.  To the sound of thunderous applause along with unanimous approval from people elected to represent us.

It’s official.  The Chicago City Council voted in a 50-0 unanimous vote to approve Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s budget.  This will result in around $8 million in cuts for the Chicago Public Library system.  This is $3.3 million less than the original $11 million that Emanuel proposed in his original budget. [Read more…]

Yesterday, voters in Pittsburgh passed a referendum to increase their property taxes to fund the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.  It passed easily with 72% of votes in favor of the referendum.  Residents voted to increase their property taxes by $25 for every $100,000 in assessed value to directly fund the library system.  The new tax will result in around $3.25 million for the library. [Read more…]

76 percent of voters approved $18 million to renovate the Ames Public Library in Iowa.  The referendum required 60 percent of the votes to pass and it blew past that requirement by a large margin on Tuesday. [Read more…]

Ames Public Library would like to renovate and is asking voters in Ames, Iowa for an $18 million bond for the project. [Read more…]

Voters in Pittsburgh will decide on whether to fund the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on Tuesday with a Referendum that would increase their property taxes by $25 for every $100,000 in assessed value.  The new tax would result in approximately $3.25 million in dedicated annual funding for operating the Carnegie Library’s 20 branch locations. [Read more…]