Southwest Washington voters will decide whether to boost funding or cut services at the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries during an Aug. 5 special election. The library property tax levy will be on the ballot in Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Klickitat counties.

The levy proposal aims to restore the district’s tax rate to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value starting in 2026. That translates to an increase of $200 per year on a $400,000 home, or a jump of about $17 per month, according to the library district.

Over the last 15 years, the library’s budget went up slower than inflation. Meanwhile, demand for services has grown as the district’s population increased by 100,000 people.

“We have a growing district and we feel that we need to grow with people,” said Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries Executive Director Jennifer Giltrop. “We need to continue to innovate and continue to meet the needs of our communities.”

The existing levy funds 96% of the revenue at 15 libraries and two bookmobiles. They range from the 83,000 square foot Vancouver Community Library in the city’s downtown to the Yacolt Library Express, located in a small red brick building that used to house the town’s jail. An iron jail cell door is still intact outside one of the book alcoves.

In the Columbia Gorge town of Stevenson, the library district provides summer reading programs and a bookmobile that visits rural communities like Trout Lake and Glenwood, said resident Scott Anderson. Their library is a place where he’s discussed broadband access during community meetings and donated blood during blood drives. It also provides a supportive place for young people.

“With the way the cuts are going at some of the school systems, it’s some of the only ways that these students are going to find a way to get a book and hang out with a librarian that can guide them in the right direction,” he said.

Approving the levy would result in a 13% increase in hours across the district and an increase in staff equivalent to 18 positions. The new funding would pay for updated technology, launch a new Clark County bookmobile, and help open a Washougal branch in 2027.

If residents reject the levy, Giltrop said expenses would exceed revenue starting next year. Hours would be scaled back by 30% across the district and 68 full-time positions would be eliminated. The library location inside the Vancouver Mall would close in 2028 and plans to build the new site in Washougal could be scrapped.

Washington state law allows taxing districts like Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries to increase the revenue they collect by up to 1% per year. Any increase beyond 1% must be approved by voters.

With those annual 1% increases and property tax revenue from new construction, Giltrop said their revenue has been increasing 2-3% per year, while their expenses are going up 4-5% per year.

“That math doesn’t work in the long run,” she said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/10/southwest-washington-voters-library-funding-august-special-election/