A full gallery Tuesday (11/28) at Hardin County Fiscal Court prompted more than an hour of residents’ concerns and comments, as well as discussion from magistrates, the bid to create a library taxing district that could have generated about $2 million a year failed to pass a first ordinance reading.
The vote for the ordinance was tied 4-4. Magistrates Garry King, Doug Goodman, Roy Easter and Fred Clem voted against the ordinance for a property tax of 3 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Hardin County Judge Executive Harry Berry was one of the votes in favor of the tax.
This is not the first time the creation of a library taxing district was brought before fiscal court. A possible tax was removed from consideration without a vote in October 2015 by Judge-Executive Harry Berry, who said the measure did not have necessary support to be approved.
Berry said the difference between now and three years ago is the county’s financial situation, He cited pressure of increasing pension commitments is compromising all governmental budgets, including the library. The county currently pays $920,000 annually for library services from its general fund.