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Library Funding

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	City of Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd. Tigard, Oregon 97223	Press Release November 19, 2003
For Immediate Release
Contact:	Margaret Barnes Library Director 503-684-6537 x2501 margaret@tigard-or.gov

Library Funding
Funding for the Tigard Library comes from several sources, Library Director Margaret Barnes explained. Questions about funding have arisen relative to the discussion about Bull Mountain annexation.

"Because Tigard Library receives funding from both Washington County and the City of Tigard, it is understandable that there may be some confusion about how we are funded," Barnes said.

Washington County taxes fund a substantial portion of Library operating costs�about 53 percent. The remaining 47 percent comes from City taxes and fees paid by Tigard residents. The County collects the funds it uses to support the City of Tigard and other City libraries from all property taxpayers in the County � including those who live within cities.

"Because of overlapping funding and the fact that the county does not target collections from specific areas to specific libraries, calculating exact portions of the Tigard library operating costs paid by City residents as compared to Bull Mountain residents can be difficult," said Craig Prosser, City of Tigard Finance Director. The City looked at several ways to calculate the relative shares of funding between City and Bull Mountain property owners. "The highest proportion paid by Bull Mountain residents for the Tigard library is 7.5%," reported Prosser. The balance of 92.5% is paid by Tigard residents.

Traditionally, County payments to the Tigard Library comprised a larger portion of the funding, between 60 and 70 percent. Because of the failure of the countywide library levy last year, County funding of the library has been substantially reduced.

"These figures do not include funding for the new library ," Barnes added. "Tigard residents also pay taxes for the construction bonds for the new library. No county money is used for construction costs or for paying off the bonds."