Annelise DeLucio thinks a safer, reimagined Morrisson-Reeves Library is worth paying additional property taxes.
She told more than 75 people attending an Oct. 28 informational meeting in the Reid Center that she doesn’t mind paying taxes when the money is used appropriately, such as for MRL’s estimated $23,815,000 project that led the library to request Wayne County Council approve an $18,720,000 bond. Other MRL supporters feel the same.
The problem council is considering, however, is that because of Indiana’s property tax caps many property owners in MRL’s service district won’t actually pay enough to offset the bond’s estimated $1,724,000 annual debt payment for about 20 years. That would shift collected property tax money away from operating funds for MRL and overlapping tax districts.
Jason Semler of consultant Baker Tilly estimated annual operating-revenue losses of about $595,000 for MRL, $453,000 for Richmond, $254,000 for the county, $243,000 for Richmond Community Schools, $158,000 for Richmond Sanitary District, $19,000 for Wayne Township and $2,000 for Spring Grove. Adam Forrest, an MRL board of trustees member, acknowledged that the impacted entities already face budgeting constraints, especially factoring in unknowns from the Indiana legislature’s efforts to restructure local property and income tax financing.
Max Smith, president of the county council, said council learned for the first time about some options MRL’s board could consider that would ease government revenue losses. Council tabled MRL’s bond request during its August meeting so those options could be explored. Now, it’s up to MRL’s board to finalize a proposal and return to council for a vote.
Should council deny MRL’s bond request, the library could pursue placing a referendum on the November 2026 election ballots. Then residents in MRL’s service district, which covers Wayne Township, Richmond Sanitary District’s service area, Richmond and Spring Grove, would vote whether they’ll pay the estimated additional tax of $0.1024 per $100 of assessed value. In the referendum, the considered tax would be outside the property tax caps, so if the referendum passes, every taxed property owner in MRL’s service district would pay the additional tax.
To begin the referendum process, which would delay MRL’s project timeline by a year, MRL would need council’s decision within the first few months of 2026. Dena Little, the director of MRL, said the board of trustees will meet in November to discuss what it will present to council.
Jennifer Lewis, the MRL board’s president, said the board is searching for the best, most fiscally responsible path. It’s trying to plan for a sustainable future while retaining “fiscal prudence,” she said. The board prefers the library remain at its 80 N. Sixth St. location, she said, calling it a cornerstone of downtown Richmond.
Kevin McCurdy of LWC Inc., which assessed the 1970s-era building’s problems, discussed why the building needed significant repairs, options that have been considered and how LWC arrived at the $23 million estimated cost. The library retained LWC when structural deficiencies appeared and the library’s mechanical systems required more frequent and more costly repairs.
Little said spending more now on long-term solutions is preferable to cheaper, temporary fixes that throw good money away. She said the library has spent $200,000 the past 18 months on repairs, including $50,000 on its lone elevator.
McCurdy said there’s no clear answer about when the building would need to be abandoned if repair money is not available. Forrest and Lewis emphasized that the library does not want anyone injured, so the board must balance the risk.
Moving the library to another building creates additional problems and expenses. The library is more than 53,000 square feet, limiting available options. With thousands of books, libraries are also heavy, McCurdy said, with structural loads twice that of office buildings. Changing a building’s use also adjusts its code requirements. Reinforcing a structure and renovations for library use would cost, in addition to purchase price or lease payments.
Demolishing the current building, where MRL owns the land, would cost about $500,000, McCurdy said. Building a new structure the same size would cost between $31.4 million and $37.4 million, while a building half that size would cost between $16 million and $19 million.
Repairing the current building without renovating the space use would still cost about $15 million. That would require prioritization of repairs over services and could leave additional work for the future, and it would require a bond between $9.5 million and $10.5 million. Repairing just a portion of the current building could reduce services and limit future use, while equipment and systems would still be required to cover the unused space.
McCurdy said LWC arrived at the $23,815,000 estimated project cost by referencing current and recent projects to estimate a $448-per-square-foot cost. He said the overall estimate is an all-in maximum that includes all aspects of the project, $4 million in contingency money and 6% inflation for two years. The final cost — and the final bond amount necessary — wouldn’t be known until receiving contractor bids.
If the full project advances, it would require the library temporarily move to a new location until completion in early 2028. Otherwise, the board will decide the library’s path. Delay will cost money, though; McCurdy said construction costs have increased 43% the past five years.
In addition to Smith, council members Jeff Cappa, Gary Saunders, Barry Ritter and Cathy Williams attended the two-hour meeting that included audience questions.
“I think it went well,” Little said. “I appreciated the questions people had.”
A version of this article appeared in the November 5 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.