With 4,728 votes tallied, 2,369 voters said no, at 50.1 percent, and 2,359 said yes. That was 49.9 percent of the votes in the preliminary tally.<\/p>\n
With declining property tax revenues, the Pine River Library District asked voters for an increase in the district\u2019s mill levy from 2.5 mills to 4.5 mills.<\/p>\n\n
That would almost double the property tax revenue for the district, from $541,000 annually to $973,000 annually.<\/p>\n
For a $300,000 home, a proposed tax increase would cost a property owner $54 a year, or $3.58 a month.<\/p>\n
In 2018, the district is projecting an ending fund balance of $1.04 million, down from $1.5 million in 2015.<\/p>\n
The district hasn\u2019t asked for a mill levy increase since 1999. In July, Library Director Shelley Walchak and members of the library board made a \u201cstate of the library\u201d presentation.<\/p>\n
The board has used the district\u2019s reserve fund to keep the budget balanced for the past three years but can\u2019t continue that indefinitely, she explained.<\/p>\n
The district has seven full-time staffers and eight part-time. Without the property tax increase, the district will have to make cuts in staffing, Walchak said.<\/p>\n
The library district has about 9,500 residents in its boundaries, which are the same as the Bayfield School District, and includes Forest Lakes and Vallecito as well as Bayfield.<\/p>\n
A volunteer campaign committee raised funds for yard signs and advertising urging a \u201cyes\u201d vote on 6A.<\/p>\n