The Carnegie Library will be adding services and increasing hours at some of its 19 locations in the City of Pittsburgh because the property tax reassessment in Allegheny County has increased this year’s expected proceeds by $900,000. Unlike local governments and school districts, libraries are not subject to the anti-windfall provisions of state law that require a millage reduction to limit tax increases.
When state funding cuts seemed to require reducing hours and even closing branches, City of Pittsburgh voters in 2011 approved a real estate tax dedicated to the Carnegie Library.
The Library will reciprocate for that community commitment, according to Suzanne Thinnes, Communications Manager. "We're looking to expand our neighborhood libraries to have more weekend and evening hours, to make room for the programs that have just taken off within the past year and a half."
Look for more lending laptops and more technology for all ages from preschoolers through teens to adults. Thinnes says the Library hopes to announce details of the expanded services during National Library Week in April.
Increased RAD funding and state revenue from table games have also contributed to the Carnegie Library's improved fiscal outlook.
