The Bud Werner Library is excited to share significant milestones with our community. As you know, Routt County property values increased significantly in 2023, raising concerns about how this might impact property tax bills, and the Bud Werner Library took this concern seriously. So seriously, if you compare this year’s tax bill with last year’s, you’ll see that East Routt Library District (Bud Werner Library) requested fewer mills in 2024 than we did in 2023, and we managed to fairly compensate our staff at the same time. How did we do it?

For starters, we have a long tradition of wise fiscal management. Established in 1980, Bud Werner Library asked voters to increase the number of mills to fund the operations of the 2008 expansion — the beautiful building you see today.

In addition to adding one mill to our existing 2.298 mills, voters also approved a separate bond for construction, and you trusted us by lifting the restrictions imposed by TABOR and the statutory limit. Thank you! In return, the library has remained mindful of our taxpayers while developing our annual budget, and year after year, for the past 16 years, we’ve only requested what we’ve needed to provide the services you have come to appreciate. This has resulted in over $15 million in taxpayer savings because, on average, we only request three-fourths of the revenue available to us.

And yet, while saving taxpayers money, the library has not skimped on securing the future of this important public institution. The library has continuously set aside funds in a capital reserve for the upkeep of this beloved building, thereby allowing us to upgrade and repair the facility without requesting more from taxpayers each year.

On top of sound fiscal management, this year marks two significant milestones for the library. First, we retired the 2006 General Obligation Bond, which was used to fund the 2008 expansion. In other words, we paid the building off two years early to remove this burden from your tax bill. Additionally, we worked to address an issue that all employers are facing in Routt County — retaining employees, from part-time shelvers to professional librarians, in the face of our current housing crisis and high inflation.

Last year, we spent months researching and defining “living wage” in Steamboat and what it truly takes to create safety nets for our employees. Today, every library employee, full and part-time, is paid a living wage and has access to health care and retirement benefits.

So, look at your tax bill and compare it to last year’s. You’ll notice that we requested only 54% of the available revenue and that the line item to pay for the bond is a thing of the past. The district requested 1.803 mills of the 3.298 mills available for 2024. This results in a $2,571,577 tax savings for citizens. We trust that Bud Werner Library’s strong financial management and commitment to its employees and community have created a winning situation for all.

This guest column was submitted by the Bud Werner Library Board of Trustees.