Mount Gilead voters will decide on tax levy this upcoming election to fund the operational cost of the Mount Gilead Public Library.
The measure will appear before voters in November, after Mount Gilead School District came to unanimous agreement with the library at its May meeting. The approved agreement will place the millage needed to fund the library’s operation under the direction of the school district.
“We (the budget) were cut in 2009 by about 30 percent,” Mount Gilead library director and financial officer Mike Kirk explained to board members. “We have (since) been cutting hours and personnel. We want to get back to being open six days a week. We are currently open five.”
The estimated the additional millage is 2/10 of a mil above what district voters have already approved.
In addition to increasing operating costs, Crooke stated that the library will need to undergo a renovation project to replace the building’s roof.
Five-year forecast
Mount Gilead treasurer Trevor Gummere updated board members on the financial status of the district with his bi-annual five-year forecast.
While the district has currently received more than anticipated in revenue, the treasurer expects expenditure to exceed that amount by 2020.
“In the last couple years we have received more state funding,” Gummere said. “We have (now) become a richer district by the state’s measure,” he said. “We need to see a growth in the income tax for this to work.”
The treasurer estimates the school district will need to use some of the funds in its cash balance over the next five years.
School administration reports
Park Avenue Elementary School Principal Jim Swain informed board members that the fifth grade staff is working to integrate hybrid learning methods into the curriculum at the school.
The shift is designed to assist students who are transitioning to Mount Gilead Middle School, which uses hybrid learning techniques in its classrooms.
Mount Gilead High School Principal Deb Clauss updated the board about the ‘College Credit Plus’ program in place for students to complete college coursework.
She stated that 66 students participated in the program, netting 654 semester hours in total.
