Currently, there is an effort — likely to fail considering the lagging rate of signature gathering — to put the elimination of Ohio’s property tax on the ballot. While increases in property values leading to dramatic increases in property taxes — at the same time the cost of everything is skyrocketing — make it understandable that people would revolt, there’s a reason no state has eliminated property taxes: they are a critical source of revenue for schools, safety forces, parks, infrastructure repairs and libraries, among other things.
Anti-tax zealots often write off things such as parks and libraries as unnecessary, but are they really? The Cuyahoga County Public Library system, which has repeatedly earned top ratings from national library organizations, has shared the results from a recent Ohio Library Council consumer survey that finds how much citizens value and rely on what libraries provide which these days goes far beyond checking out books. They provide meeting and study spaces, homework and job hunt assistance, computer use, classes in citizenship, high school equivalency and English for non-English speakers, author talks and other educational programs, kids’ activities, and a variety of media, not just books. The Cuyahoga County Public Libraries even offer a record studio, maker spaces and a writers’ center.
The survey found that 92% of Ohioans think public libraries are important to their communities; 71% believe that they offer basic services people rely on in their daily lives; and 69% can cite a time when the library helped them personally.
To learn more about why defunding Ohio’s public libraries would strip citizens of countless opportunities to learn, grow and be more productive, go to libraries-by-the-numbers.