Provo City Council approved a property tax increase to fund the Provo City Library at Academy Square for the fiscal year 2024-2025 at Provo City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
The tax increase is intended to fund the Provo City Library, which has been making significant budget cuts in the past couple of years.
With an average property value of $482,000, the average tax would increase by $11.93 for homes and $21.69 for businesses, according to Provo City's website.
For the past 20 years, the Provo City Library did not ask for a tax increase. They were using a savings account in order to fund their wide array of activities.
The new funding will allow the library to function at its current level, including continuing nontraditional services such as the attic, creative lab and outreach programs.
According to Provo City, the library faced an $800,000 shortfall. In response, the library made a $235,000 budget cut. This led to the proposed tax increase.
Many residents of Provo attended the public hearing in support of the taxation increase. Emily Weinheimer, a Provo resident for the past 19 years, was one of these individuals
“I just think this is a great resource for our community in continuing to develop good citizens and creating the kind of community we want to have," Weinheimer said.
According to the city council, 75% of residents who responded to an online poll were in favor of the tax increase. However, the other 25% expressed concerns.
Pam Jones, a resident of Provo addressed the council at the public hearing over concerns of raising the taxes.
“I just want to remind you, as a taxing authority, that a little bit here, a little bit there … adds up and there are people in the community who are on a very tight budget," Jones said.
During the hearing, many of the council members and attendees acknowledged that many people in Provo are just trying to make ends meet.
Councilor Travis Hoban said while he loves the library, he believes the funding should come from other sources.
“The deficit the library’s been running has been kind of a moving target … I’d like to see what we can do as far as annual giving goes, donations, corporate sponsorships,” Hoban said.
The City Council voted 6-1 in favor of the increase, with Councilor Hoban opposing the tax increase.
The official vote for the tax increase will take place Tuesday, Aug. 20.
