By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Rural Ellis County voters may get a chance to decide if they want their tax dollars to stay local in support of a local library system, instead of the current model that sends funds to other libraries in the region.
The Ellis County Commission will consider a resolution this week presented by Hays Public Library Director Brandon Hines, calling for the creation of a county library in Ellis County.
According to Hines, the Hays Public Library Board of Directors approved the resolution on March 6. He presented the county commission with information about the resolution last week.
Ellis County does not have a county public library and instead is a part of the Central Kansas Library System, which is based out of Great Bend.
Hines said the Kansas Regional Library System was established in the 1960s. It collects taxes from residents who live in rural areas outside of the city limits, where city libraries already exist. There are seven different regional library systems in Kansas.
Both the Hays Public Library and the Ellis Public Library were already established and are members of the regional library system but are funded by taxpayers within the city limits of their respective cities.
The Central Kansas Regional Library System consists of 17 counties and serves 54 public libraries and 32 school districts.
The taxes collected from rural Ellis County residents are first sent to the Central Kansas Regional Library System System and then distributed throughout the region.
The region stretches from Phillipsburg County to Republic County along the northern state line, south to Salina, and back west to Rush and Pawnee County to the south.
Hines said in the areas outside of the city limits of Hays and Ellis, there is a tax of a little more than 1.5 mills that is collected for the library system. That accounts for about $300,000 per year.
They estimated that in 2020, Ellis County received about $103,000 in return, for a net loss of nearly $200,000. Ellis County sent $293,000 to the system in 2023 and will send about $298,000 in 2024.
Hines said while the Hays Public Library Board has been working for years on a way to reduce the disparity and is calling for the creation of the new county library and taxing district, both Ellis and Hays Public Libraries benefit from the system.
“The Ellis Public Library receives automation and processing and consulting from the regional library system,” Hines said. “So, if you get on their computers at the library, or if you have the link to their catalogue, they're the ones who maintain their catalog, it's a real service, it's a real value to that library.”
Ellis also receives funding from the regional system. According to Hines, Ellis received $12,700 this year.
Hines said the Hays Public Library does not take advantage of all of the services that are offered through the regional system because they do not believe it would be in the best interest of local library patrons.
“We don't want them to have to manage our system, and we have many professionals in our system and we're very good at what we do,” Hines said. “We feel it'd be a real disservice to hand that off to another entity.”
The Hays Public Library will get $87,000 in funding this year from the regional library system, but Hines said that will be reduced to $57,000 by 2027.
Both the Hays USD 489 and Ellis USD 388 are also members of the library system and receive some benefits and funding.
Hines said they estimate the gap between the amount of tax revenue that Ellis County continues to send to the system and the amount of funds returned will continue to widen.
He said the numbers also show that the Hays Public Library is a large percentage of the overall circulation in the system.
Hines said over the 1.2 million items in the 17 counties the Hays Public Library is responsible for almost 30%. He also said in 2022 $200,000 in physical items were circulated by the Hays Public Library.
Outside of the city of Hays, there are about 600 Victoria residents who have a Hays Public Library card and all of their taxes are going to the library system. Another 700 Hays Public Library cardholders live in Ellis, according to Hines.
Hines said, “The regional library system, again, we opted to be members back in the 1960s. I don't believe if this county or the Hays Public Library, we're given the option today we would even consider entering into this deal.”
But he said it is a complicated process that comes with extra regulations and statutes.
Among those are the creation of a two-year double taxation put in place, a quarter mill, that has to be established before the county can even petition to withdraw from the regional library system.
The State Library Board could overrule the vote by county taxpayers saying the move would create “manifest harm” to the district.
The board could also require the library to turn over any materials or systems purchased by the state or the system. That could include everything dating back to the 1960’s. Although he does not believe that will happen.
Hines said the creation of the county library would not just be selecting the Hays Public Library, or any other library. The county would have to create a library.
“To be excluded from the regional library system, you have got to create an actual library. You've got to establish it through a vote. You have to levy a tax. You have to have a board,” Hines said. “So, it does take a full actual library board and actual entity. You can't simply say yeah, this is a great deal for us to contract with the existing libraries.”
Hines said their recommendation instead would be that the county contract the Hays Public Library to serve as the county library, if approved by voters.
“You still have to offer the services, and what's happening now is the Hays Public Library already is offering the services,” Hines said. “We are serving the rural Ellis County area (and) we are serving Victoria and we'd absolutely continue to do that.”
If approved by the voters, the commission would appoint a library board and then the board would establish the library mill levy. They would also be required to create and pass an annual budget.
That county library board could then contract the Hays Public Library to serve in the role of county public library.
Hines said even more complicated is how the Hays Public Library is funded. He says they would not opt in to a part of the proposed taxing district.
“The Hays Public Library, even though our vision is that this would be very good for the taxpayers of Ellis County (and) could benefit the Hays Public Library, we can't figure out a scenario where the Hays Public Library is actually a member of this taxing district.”
Currently in the City of Hays, six mills are distributed to the Hays Public Library, from the general fund tax collection.
Hines said the Hays Public Library would not ask county taxpayers to fill that six mill void and the library would have to cut a large portion of the services it offers if it took a reduction in funding.
They instead would be in favor of being contracted by the county.
Hines also said they believe the city of Ellis would benefit from opting into the county taxing district.
Ellis funds its library through a four mill tax and an additional three-quarters mill, according to Hines. He said they believe this move could lead to a reduction in taxes for both Ellis and rural Ellis County voters.
“At the same time, the revenue would go up for the actual library,” Hines said. “So, an increase in funding for libraries, the tax dollars stay local and we can see tax rates fall for the entire county.”
Hines said the Hays Public Library would remain a member of the Central Kansas Library System and it would still benefit from the Central Kansas Library System .
Both Ellis County Commissioners Neal Younger and Michael Berges said many rural residents may not know that their tax money is going out of county for the Central Kansas Library System .
“If you live in Victoria, that library tax is not coming to the Hays library or the Ellis library, it's going first to CKLS and great band,” Berges said. “Everybody that lives in those rural areas, the county areas, the true county areas of Ellis, that 1.5 (mill) is going to Great Bend for all intents and purposes first, and then they're supposed to allocate it back to our to our libraries for the services.”
Hines said he has met with both the Ellis City Council and Ellis City Library Board, and they are planning on having a joint meeting.
At the end of last week’s discussion, the commission plans to bring forward a resolution this week that would put the ballot measure to a vote for residents of rural Ellis County, Victoria and potentially Ellis to decide.
Berges said he supports the idea of going to the voters with the resolution.
“I think we can ask the county residents to participate and decide again, where their library dollars are actually going,” Berges said. “I don't know if we can stand here and tell the residents of Ellis what they can do. They have to kind of make that decision on their own on whether they want to be a part of the county library system and give up the Central Kansas Library System or continue to be their own and have the city fund it.”
The ballot question could be put to voters in August during the primary election.
The commission will consider the resolution this week.