BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The East Baton Rouge Metro Council introduced a resolution on January 14 that will call for a special election this summer for voters to decide on a tax proposal to fund the parish's 15 library locations for the next 10 years.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Library (EBRPL) believes voters will approve the new mileage tax proposition that will financially support library operations through 2036.
Unlike the Thrive EBR plan under Mayor-President Sid Edwards, which voters denied in November 2025, this new tax will only fund operational services for libraries in the parish. Those services include staffing, books, technology, supplies, utilities, maintenance, contractual services, and an updated "pay-as-you-go" Capital Improvements Plan.
Lower tax rate proposed
"This is a new proposal, but it's a new proposal for a continuation of that same tax, 10-year dedicated tax that the people have voted for since 1986, believe it or not, but at the lower rate of 9.5 mils," said Mary Stein, assistant library director for the EBRPL.
The council introduced the resolution with no action taken at the meeting. A public hearing will be held on February 11, 2026, where the council and public will hear the resolution and discuss whether the plan should move forward to the June 27, 2026, ballot.
Funding concerns if measure fails
If the council does not receive a minimum of seven votes to place the tax on the ballot, the impacts could be parish-wide.
"We do not receive funding from really any other source," said Katrina Stokes, executive director of EBRPL. "We don't receive any from the Library of Congress, none from the State Library. We don't really receive very many grants. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the funding that we receive. It's almost completely from parish-wide property taxes."
If the Millage Continuation Proposition fails on June 27, the Library will need to propose a new millage in 2027, with funds not available until 2028. EBRPL can maintain operations for at least 12 months without new revenue, but a prolonged absence of funding will adversely affect its Capital Improvements Plan and future operations.
Library leaders believe the measure will be supported by both the council and the public.
"We have heard a groundswell of approbation," Stein said. "People saying, 'Yes, I want this. We wanted a simple, straightforward proposition. And at a lower rate, we're in.' That's what we're hearing."