By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Even though the overall voter turnover was lower than in past years, voters in rural Ellis County and the city of Victoria overwhelmingly approved the creation of a county public library during Tuesday’s general election.
According to the unofficial vote totals the question of, “Shall Ellis County, Kansas establish and maintain a county library?” was approved by a vote of 474 in favor to 173 opposed.
Only voters who live in Victoria or outside the city limits of Hays and Ellis were able to vote on the library question.
The overall voter turnover was less than nine percent in Ellis County. The lack of contested races for both Republicans and Democrats was expected to put a damper on the number of voters who cast their ballot in Tuesday’s primary.
You can find the complete results from Tuesday HERE.
Ellis County Commissioner Michael Berges said Tuesday after the results were announced that he expected a low turnout and the large number of voters who supported the question showed the voters support for the issue.
“I think it does give us some confidence that the voters did understand it,” Berges said. “They want to see a different direction and how their library services tax dollars are being used and would like it to stay closer to home.”
Berges said the next step in the process, after the election is certified in two weeks, is to begin the process of putting together the five-member county public library board.
“Our task now is to put together a board, so (the commission will) put out a call for those that want to volunteer and be a part of this county library board,” Berges said.
The commission will also work to create a taxing district that will collect the ¼ mill in taxes over the next two years. He said they will work with their attorney to complete that step.
The newly created county public library board will then be allowed to partner with existing public libraries to provide services to the city of Victoria and rural Ellis County.
Property taxes currently collected from residents living in those areas for library services fund the Central Kansas Library System (CKLS).
According to the CKLS, the taxes collected from Ellis County in 2023 was more than $292,000. That funding was then distributed to member libraries across the 17-county area that is served by the CKLS.
The funding the Hays and Ellis public libraries and the three public school libraries receives from the CKLS has continued to decline in recent years and according to County Administrator Darin Myers, by 2027 less than 25% of the taxes paid from Ellis County will be returned to Ellis County.
Now that the voters have approved the library question a petition to withdraw the taxing district from the regional library system may be submitted to the State Library of Kansas Board. If approved the taxes would no longer by assessed for the CKLS.
Berges did issue a word of caution, that even though it was approved by the voters, the state of Kansas could still step in over the next two years and block Ellis County’s efforts.