Prop L MRRL library tax question on Tuesday’s Cole County ballot

Voters in Cole County will cast ballots on Tuesday on Proposition L, which would increase the assessed valuation of property for the Missouri River Regional library in Jefferson City from 20 cents to 35 cents per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. Passage requires a simple majority. Supporters say the increase is necessary and that the last levy increase was in 1964. Opponents include former Jefferson City Mayor Tom Rackers, who tells “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that opponents aren’t opposed to the library nor library improvements:

Former Mayor Rackers describes Tuesday’s ballot measure as too much for too long. Proposition L would increase personal property and real estate taxes. Supporters say that if Proposition Library passes next week, the library will move out of its current building downtown in 2024 and that construction will take two years. They also say the library is heavily-used, saying 158-thousand people visited the Jefferson City library and bookmobile in 2022.