From the Indianapolis Star:
A $30 million referendum on the May 8
ballot would build a new library in Franklin -- but the tab would be shared by
those outside the city limits.
The project proposes a modern library and a
250-space parking structure in the heart of downtown Franklin at Jackson and
Jefferson streets. The 70,000-square-foot building would have two floors with
rooms for seminars, conferences and meetings; a 24-hour drive-up drop box; a
covered-porch reading room; and space for homework and group study.
The project also offers smaller
improvements in the branch library in White River Township.
It would include a remodeled children's
area and a new drive-up drop box, funded by $1 million set aside for
improvements to existing buildings.
…
The library's long-range plans include
another referendum to build a new White River branch in the coming years.
…
The referendum, if it passes, would add
about $14 a year to the tax bill for a $100,000 home, according to Johnson
County library officials.
According to the Library Board, median
homes in Johnson County ($142,200) would pay $25.64 per year; businesses and
rental properties valued at $100,000 would pay $42.60 per year; farmers would
pay 64 cents per acre.
Voters who live in the Greenwood and
Edinburgh library districts won't vote on the referendum. The decision will be
made by roughly 67,000 of the county's 93,000 registered voters.
