Boone County and Columbia library districts to merge, new tax rate

The Boone County and Columbia library districts will merge on Jan. 1, 2018, which will affect the property tax rate for potentially both parties. Currently the rate is 30.91 cents for every $100 of assessed valuation in the Boone County district and 31.14 cents in Columbia.

In August the board members from both districts will set a new, universal property tax rate to fund library services for the combined district. There is a cap at 32 cents, but there is no projection currently for the new rate.

The new board will have nine members, five selected by the mayor of Columbia and four picked by the county commissioners.

Melissa Carr, director of the Boone County Regional Library, says the merge is “modernizing the governance structure.”