The St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library Board of Directors thought this was important information you should know about the village TIF District.
The library receives its funding through property taxes from St. Joseph Township not the Village of St. Joseph. We have always had a great working relationship with the Township Board and Officers. The Village of St. Joseph governmental unit does not provide money to the operation and maintenance of the library.
If the TIF District is approved by the Village Board it would take money that is needed to run the library for the village’s use. The Village has stated that we would continue to receive the existing money we currently receive from the area of the proposed district; if the village honors that agreement and does not keep all TIF District taxes. However, any new development that increases property taxes would only go to the Village. The library would not receive any of that new money.
They would be potentially increasing the population served by the library without giving the library the means to provide adequate materials for the increased population.
Increasing costs for staff, utilities and materials (books, audiobooks, downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, summer reading program supplies) could cause the library to have to reduce spending by reducing hours of operation and reducing the amount of materials we purchase.
We have a wonderful library for the community of St. Joseph. Honor Maude Swearingen Davis’ wish to provide a library to our community by helping us to keep it the best it can be.
Members of the St. Joseph Women’s Club began working toward establishing a library about 1929, and in 1934, the first library opened in a room of a local beauty shop.
In 1956, a new building was provided by Mrs. Maude (Swearingen) Davis in honor of her parents. The new building was built at 201 N. Third Street and was to be known as the Swearingen Memorial Library. A trust was established by Mrs. Davis upon her death to provide for the maintenance of the building. Members of the St. Joseph Woman’s Club continued to volunteer their time to staff the library.
A vital part of the trust is that the library must remain at 201 N. Third Street.Maude was a big proponent of the library residing in the downtown area to be easily accessible.
In 1973, a referendum was passed by the Township to establish a tax base for the library. At this time a Library Board of Trustees was elected and a Librarian was hired. The library was renamed the St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library.
In 1988, the library received a grant to expand its structure. The library was temporarily closed while renovations were being done. It reopened in February 1989 with its current layout and design.
Please help us protect future funding for our Library. Thank you!
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