SAVE OUR LIBRARIES

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What happened?

Our property taxes directly fund public libraries among other services, like museums and senior centers.

The County is short $900,000 this fiscal year. $500,000 of the shortfall is due to 3 of the 5

property tax relief programs that most Wyoming counties and municipalities did not ask for. Our

local legislative representatives opposed these programs because they knew they would result in

drastic funding losses, and they have. We believe most people did not realize the effect of the

2024 ballot measure that voters passed. The County Commissioners had to

make hard decisions to protect essential services like fire protection and law enforcement, but

even those services lost funding.

What does it mean for the Carbon County Library System?

Expect reduced hours and services at your local branch as we work to raise funds from all

sources using an “all of the above” approach. While our Board is committed to doing all that we

can to avoid closures, it is possible that one or more branches could be closed as a last resort.

We need to raise $164,000 ASAP in order to keep the system operating as before.

What are we doing?

• We are working diligently to raise funds from any and all sources.
•  We have committed a portion of our “rainy day fund,” to the extent possible without depleting it unsustainably.
• Seeking and receiving additional funding from the Carbon County Library Foundation, our fundraising partner. We are grateful to the foundation for its ongoing generosity and commitment to the Library System. However, the foundation is not permitted to contribute to our operating costs, which include such things as salaries, utilities, and insurance—all of which are necessary to keep the doors open and the lights on, therefore our campaign this year is separate from their fundraising activities.
•  Asking businesses in or near Carbon County to consider extraordinary support to help us get through our 100th year intact.

What can you do? 

•  If you own residential property, compare your tax assessments from 2024 and 2025 and consider passing some of your savings on to the Library System.
• Contact your legislators and ask them to reconsider some or all of the property tax relief programs, make them opt-in versus opt-out, and/or backfill the lost revenue to counties and municipalities.
•  Choose to pay more than the amount owed on your 2025 property taxes. Any such additional funds will go to the County, and more funds would therefore be available for public services like the Library System.
•  Donate directly to the Library System via Square or by going to your nearest branch and donating by cash or check.
•  Even if you do not own residential property in the County, you can donate as much or as little as you can afford. Every dollar helps!

We firmly believe libraries contribute to the economy by making our towns attractive to

young, working families, retirees, and tourists—all of whom drive economic activity and build up our funding bases, and that is a benefit to businesses and government. We are and will continue committing our own time, money, and energy into this campaign, here, on social media, in newspapers, on the radio and on the street.

This is not an ordinary fundraiser. We are doing all that we can with no marketing budget and

without using our limited resources on fancy events or give-backs. Rest assured, every dollar you donate gives back to you in the long run, as a citizen of Carbon County. Finally, we ask you to consider, if not a library user yourself, the impact libraries have on those with the least to give. Vulnerable people rely on libraries for amenities that most of us take for granted—internet, printing, manuals, tax forms, books and activities for children, meeting rooms, notary service, you name it, we have it—for now. Those services help people achieve upward economic mobility, which in turn keeps the economic engines humming. Please think of them and remember that “a rising tide lifts all boats” and “great libraries build communities.”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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