Michigan § 397.183 - Determination of money necessary for establishment and operation of district library districtwide tax; payment by participating municipality; approval of tax; library tax.

Subject to any limitation in the district library agreement on the amount of the district library annual budget or the amount or percentage of an increase in the district library annual budget, or both, that applies in the absence of a districtwide tax approved by the electors, the board shall annually determine the amount of money necessary for the establishment and operation of the district library and shall state that amount in an annual budget of the district library.

All or part of the money necessary for the establishment and operation of a district library may be supplied by a tax levied by the district library on the taxable property in the district. A district library shall not levy a tax authorized by this subsection unless the tax is approved as provided in section 15. However, a districtwide tax in effect or authorized to be levied by a district library established pursuant to former Act No. 164 of the Public Acts of 1955 may be levied by the district library at the rate and for the period of time originally authorized without being approved as provided in section 15.

A districtwide tax or taxes authorized by subsection (2) shall not exceed 4 mills.

That portion of the total districtwide tax or taxes that exceeds 2 mills shall be authorized to be levied for a period of not more than 20 years. However, if 1 or more of the participating municipalities had a legally established public library with an authorized tax levy of more than 2 mills on December 31, 1993, that portion of the total districtwide tax or taxes that exceeds the greatest number of mills authorized to be levied by any such participating municipality for its public library on December 31, 1993 shall be authorized to be levied for a period of not more than 20 years.

Of the amount of money stated in the annual budget pursuant to subsection (1) that is not supplied by a districtwide tax, the legislative body of each participating municipality shall annually pay to the board the percentage set forth in the agreement pursuant to section 4. A participating municipality may make the payment by appropriating money from its general fund or by levying a tax for district library purposes on the taxable property in the municipality, or both.

A participating municipality shall not levy a tax authorized by subsection (5) unless the tax is approved by a majority of the electors who reside in the participating municipality and vote on the proposal. Not less than 60 days before the date of the election, the legislative body of a participating municipality shall certify a proposed tax to the clerk of the municipality or, if the participating municipality is a school district, to the secretary of the school board for inclusion on the ballot.

A library tax in effect or authorized to be levied by a participating municipality before the municipality became a party to an agreement may be levied at the rate and for the period of time originally authorized and used as a source of all or part of the percentage of money set forth in the agreement pursuant to section 4, unless prohibited by the millage authorization.