CLARKSTON, WA – The Asotin County Rural Library District will ask voters this fall to approve a levy lid lift that would restore funding for library services and programs. The measure will appear on the November 4, 2025 ballot and marks the library’s first levy request in 16 years.
If approved, the levy rate would return to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, up from the current 40.25 cents. For a home valued at $300,000, the annual library tax would increase to $150—an additional $29.75 per year, or about $2.48 a month.
Library officials said the increase would maintain essential services including Digital Navigator appointments, the Job and Career Catalyst Center, digital and print resources, and programming for all ages. The additional revenue would also support building maintenance. Without the funding, reductions in staffing, hours, and services are expected.
“We have been very careful with our funds,” Library Director Jennifer Ashby said. “But with the 1% cap on revenue increases that went into effect in 2002, we simply cannot keep up with inflation. We last ran a lid lift in 2009 and promised the voters we would not run another for at least five years. Here we are sixteen years later and it’s time to restore funding so we can continue serving the people of Asotin County”.
More information, including a copy of the Board Resolution and a list of frequently asked questions, is available on the library’s website at asotincountylibrary.org/news.
