Former commissioner questions Stutsman County library funding increase
A former commissioner said the library levy helped drive Stutsman County taxes higher after the county raised it from 1.93 mills to 4 mills.
The Stutsman County Commission approved raising the James River Valley Library System’s mill levy from 1.93 mills to 4 mills. Joe Rector, a former Stutsman County commissioner and former library board member, questioned the county’s higher library levy in a letter that tied the James River Valley Library System directly to rising property taxes.
The dispute is over what Stutsman County should pay for joint library service with Jamestown and whether taxpayers are getting value for the money. City Councilman David Schloegel puts the county’s fair share at 3.5 mills for the shared system, while County Commissioner Joan Morris has presented per-taxpayer cost information and argued that operating the libraries separately would cost less.
County residents support a system that dates back to 1919 and still operates through two Jamestown facilities, the Alfred Dickey Library and the Stutsman County Library. The North Dakota Office of the State Auditor’s 2022 report identifies the James River Valley Library System as a component unit of Stutsman County and says it is governed by a seven-member board, with three members appointed by Jamestown, three by the county and one jointly appointed.
The James River Valley Library Board preferred continuing joint library services between Jamestown and Stutsman County, and county officials and Jamestown leaders later approved a revised agreement to keep working together. The Jamestown City Council issued a two-year withdrawal notice in October that would take effect in 2027, and the board unanimously recommended continuing joint operations in March 2025.
A 1961 attorney general opinion addressed residents trying to get rid of a county traveling library and the tax that supported it.
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