Saline District Library Millage Renewal

This post expresses the views and opinions of the author(s) and not necessarily that of The Saline Post management or staff.

We encourage our neighbors to vote "Yes" on the Saline District Library's (SDL) August 4 millage renewal.

As members of the millage’s "Yes Committee," it's not surprising that we’re SDL superfans. But what may be surprising are these facts about the millage, and how it helps SDL provide top-notch service to patrons of all ages:

SDL governance/funding is separate from the City of Saline, surrounding townships, and Saline Area Schools. The library district shares boundaries with Saline Area Schools and serves almost 29,000 people.

The original millage was a 20-year .55 millage. SDL is asking voters to renew this millage for 10 years at a reduced rate of .33 mills because, for the last 9 years, the SDL Board of Trustees has levied between .33 and .35 mills.

SDL is seeking a 10-year renewal because library services change rapidly, making it challenging to predict community needs beyond 10 years.

This millage is approximately 26% of the library’s revenue, which equals SDL’s annual spending on:

New library materials
eLibrary resources like Libby and Hoopla
Programming for all ages
Summer Reading
Special features like the SDL SeeDLibrary and ETC Collection
Technology services and internet access
Maintenance on our recently renovated building/grounds, a gathering space for all

In 2025:

251,518 physical items were checked out
SDL was visited 158,183 times.
130,861 digital items were checked out.
Public Wi-Fi and computers were used 49,785 times.
22,587 people attended programs for all ages. SDL offers approximately 70 programs per month, all free of charge.
Staff answered 26,283 reference questions.
2,282 people participated in Summer Reading.

Learn more on the Yes Committee’s Facebook page: YES for SDL. And please vote via absentee ballot or in person on August 4.

Sincerely,

Lori Byron
Jack Ceo
Pam Ceo
Jerry Doty
Kathy Gravlin
Stephanie Gray
Sharon Iverson
Alex Johnson
Kathy Krone
Michael McVey
David Rhoads
Linda TerHaar
Karen Viera
Bruce Westlake