Jan. 13 Summit County Council committee meetings
Covered by Documenter Abby Darin-Evans (see their notes here)
Summit County Council is considering plans for a new 1 mill, $160 million, 20-year bond issuance to support capital improvements for the Akron Summit County Public Library system. If council members vote to support this at their Jan. 27 meeting, the question would go to voters in May.
ASCPL’s 19 facilities are aging, according to the library system’s executive director, Pamela Hickson-Stevenson. She told council members at a Jan. 13 meeting that the average age of the buildings is 24 years. She said they need new roofs, parking lots, flooring and furnishings.
“We knew that this was going to be a tsunami coming on the horizon in terms of capital needs,” Hickson-Stevenson said.
Only two branches, Kenmore and Highland Square, are less than 20 years old. The Main Library branch downtown opened 20 years ago.
Most ASCPL branches fall in the 20- to 30-year age range, while the Norton and Portage Lakes branches are more than 30 years old. Over a six- to seven-year period, 14 buildings were opened and are now aging at the same rate.
The last ASCPL bond issue was approved by voters in 1997. That 0.98 mill bond raised $80 million and supported the expansion of library locations and services across Summit County.
Public input on new ASCPL facilities
In 2024, ASCPL retained Bostwick Design Partnership to assess architectural needs and solicit public input on future needs. These public feedback sessions, plus more than 1,700 responses to an online survey, revealed several priorities.
Library patrons said they want more quiet study spaces, collaborative spaces, creative spaces, technology, comfortable seating and improved spaces for remote work.
ASCPL’s goal in seeking voter approval for the bond issue, Hickson-Stevenson said, is to “protect the substantial investment the community has made over the years.”
The bond issues will fund improvements across the entire library system, with “no location” being left untouched according to Hickson-Stevenson
Which Summit County residents will vote on the 1 mill bond issue?
The new issue will appear on the ballot in all Summit County communities within ASCPL’s service district. Several Summit County communities (including Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Stow and Twinsburg) do not fall under ASCPL’s service district because they have separate libraries governed by separate boards. Residents in these communities will not vote on the issue or be assessed if the issue passes.
What will this cost Summit County residents?
If passed, homeowners in the ASCPL service area will see a new line on their property tax assessments. A homeowner with a property appraised at $100,000 will pay $35 per year toward this new issue, while the owner of a $200,000 appraised home will pay $70 per year.
