Voters approve 1-mill add-on tax for Bluffton library

BLUFFTON — Voters on Tuesday approved a 1-mill, 10-year additional tax levy for the Bluffton Public Library. The levy was handily approved, according to unofficial results from the boards of elections in both Allen and Hancock counties — with 753 votes for the levy (including 745 votes in Allen County and 8 votes in Hancock County) and 370 votes against the request (including 361 votes in Allen County and 9 votes in Hancock County). Director Jessica Hermiller said in April that the library has had a similar 1-mill levy since it was first approved for current expenses in 2006. Ten years later in 2016, the issue was renewed. With that tax expiring, the board of trustees approved putting the request back on the ballot. Hermiller said this time around, the ballot language says it is an "additional" or new tax because replacement levies are no longer an option as of fall 2025. She said the current levy the library is requesting would essentially reset the millage. It is not asking for additional millage. Hermiller said the current levy the library has been receiving is now 20 years old. And with declining income and the Public Library Fund (PLF) being changed to a line-item appropriation, along with overall cost increases, the support from this levy is more important than ever, she said. In 2025, the library received $130,568 from the levy which represents 26.5% of the budget, said Hermiller. In Ohio, any voted millage doesn't grow with inflation so there's been no increase in the amount the library has received each year, she said. And with the change to the PLF, community support is more important than it ever was, she added. With the passage of the additional tax levy — and with the reset millage — the levy is estimated to collect $257,404 annually. For the person who owns a home valued at $100,000, the additional cost per year is $35. The money is used for almost everything in the library from books to computers, said Hermiller. Residents of the Bluffton School District voted on the proposed tax levy. The majority of voters live in Allen County, while a small number in the district live in Hancock County.