Leon County: Library renovations, property tax increase, pay raise main issues in budget

At Tuesday's Leon County budget workshop, staff announced that the LeRoy Collins Main Public Library is in line to get a much needed facelift.

Library Director Pamela Monroe shared with county commissioners that the improvements and renovations will take place in two phases, focusing on the heavily trafficked first and second floors of the library. The third floor mainly consists of administrative offices.

According to the workshop agenda, Phase 1 of the project, which will begin construction next month, has a total budget of $2.3 million. Phase 2 will cost a total of $2.5 million, which will be spread out over the next three fiscal years.

The renovations are part of the county's Essential Library Initiative focusing on four main areas, literacy and lifelong learning, business and workforce development, civic and community engagement and arts and humanities.

Renovations to the library were just one of the talking points of Tuesday's workshop amid possible across-the-board county pay raises and a rise in property taxes, but still no signs on how much that may cost taxpayers.

Get a glimpse at the Main Library's new and improved look

With construction just around the corner, Phase 1 will be contained to the second floor of the library. Some of the renovations, such as upgrades to the air conditioning and lighting systems, did not receive as much focus during Monroe's presentation.

She highlighted the new amenities that will soon be available and the new look visitors can expect to see. "One of the things that we're going to be doing will be relocating our adult education programs from the third floor to the second floor," Monroe said.

She also shared that the library's "Career Corner" will feature "a comprehensive resource center that will support patrons (with) employment guidance and career service training." Library staff also will be moved all over the building so residents can easily find help.

Some of the bells and whistles of the remodel include a soundproof recording studio, multi-use meeting spaces, and "huddle" rooms.

In other business

Following the library presentation, one of the main point of concerns of the workshop was the rise of the taxable property value, which the property appraiser shared is at a total countywide value of 10.3%. The final numbers will be provided by the property appraiser by July 1.

The county currently estimates a revenue increase of $18.8 million, based on the rise in values, but County Commissioner Brian Welch said "a good year for (the county) is a bad year for taxpayers," urging administrators to be "lean" with how they "operate and and spend that money."

Another pressure point was a proposed 5% pay increase across the board for county employees, an idea from Commissioner Bill Proctor at a previous budget meeting. The option to include it in the budget passed 5-2, with Commissioners Welch and Rick Minor opposed.

What happens next

? The next budget workshop is July 9.

? The first public hearing of the property tax rate and 2025 budget will be Sept. 17.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at [email protected] or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: County budget issues: library renovations, pay raise, property tax