The East Baton Rouge Parish Library announced Wednesday it will be presenting a new tax millage to voters in June, should the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council approve it.
The 9.5-mill tax, estimated to raise around $59.6 million annually, would fund 100% of library operations for the next 10 years, a release from the system said.
It comes after voters rejected Prop. 1 in November that would have funded the system through an 11.1 mill annual tax, with 2.8 of those mills going to the parish’s general fund.
That was part of East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ plan to rededicate taxes for several parish agencies to fix a hole in the parish’s general fund caused by the new city of St. George taking over its share of sales tax revenue. Voters rejected all three measures Edwards had pitched.
A mill represents $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. This proposed tax would equate to $142.5 in taxes for a household with a home valued at $225,000.
The library system's previous tax millage, which expired at the end of 2025, was set at 9.89 mills.
The tax announced Wednesday would be lower than the taxes approved by voters in 1995, 2005 and 2015, and would still give the system more money than it would have received under Prop. 1.
“It's key that people understand that this is lower than what they paid last week,” said Mary Stein, assistant library director. “When they paid their property taxes last week, they paid 9.89. So we're asking for less.”
The proposed tax will be presented to the Metro Council on Jan. 14, with public comment opening at the Feb. 11 meeting.
Should it be approved, it would come before voters on June 27.
“The East Baton Rouge Parish Library is pleased to present a new, stand-alone proposition at a lower millage of 9.5 to our community,” Library Director Katrina Stokes said. “We examined the fresh information as it became available to us, we studied the statistical data we carefully collected over time, and we listened to you, our community stakeholders. With this millage, EBRPL will continue to provide the excellent services our community deserves, while fully funding the Capital Improvements Plan, which protects the public's investment.”
Library officials highlighted that under the new proposal, all of the system’s capital improvement projects, including renovations and expansions to the Scotlandville and Baker libraries, will remain fully funded.
Those projects would have been scaled back under the lower 8.3 millage the library would have received had Thrive passed.
But capitol improvements, along with some regular library operations, would also be put in jeopardy if the new 9.5 mill vote in June fails, Stein said.
After the system’s last tax millage expired at the end of 2025, and with no new millage being set up as part of Thrive, the system has been operating off reserve funds.
Stein said those funds will carry the system through 2026, albeit with some budgeting, but that the failure of this new tax proposal would strand the system without income for both 2026 and 2027.
The Mayor’s Office did not respond for requests for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that the tax millage would go before voters in July. The election will be on June 27. h regrets the error.