FARMINGTON — The Davis County Commission was presented with a report Tuesday that lists future library needs within the county and gives options to fund those needs, including a $5 property-tax increase.

While the county's library system has been expanded recently, more is needed to accommodate future population growth and repair aging buildings, said Davis Library director Pete Giacoma, who presented the report to the commission.

The county currently has a five-library system with one library under construction in Centerville. Future needs, according to the report, include rebuilding the Farmington and Kaysville libraries, expanding the new Syracuse library and building branches in South Weber and North Salt Lake.

Rebuilding the Farmington and Kaysville libraries are top priorities for the Davis County Library Board, said Giacoma. Revenue exists to fund the two rebuild projects, but not until 2010 and 2013.

Money is not available to fund a North Salt Lake library nor expansion of the Syracuse branch. Current revenues would allow for construction of a South Weber branch, but not until 2014.

"With a sound financial base for supporting public services, programs and administration, buildings pose the most notable challenge for the Library," Giacoma wrote in the report, "Building a Future: Options, Scenarios and Costs for Capital Projects, 2006-2014."

He presented commissioners with two options that would allow all library projects to be built by 2014: a $5 to $5.50 increase of the county's current library tax, or an $8.35 to $9.20 increase. On average, Davis residents pay about $41 a year for the Davis County library system; fees were last hiked by $13 in 2000.

Giacoma recommends that commissioners — if they do implement a tax increase — review the need for the increase after all building projects are completed. Giacoma also said the Davis Library Board is "not really" recommending that commissioners implement the $8.35 to $9.20 increase. The construction timeline would be impractical under that scenario, he said.

"It's possible in the widest sense of the word, but not practical," Giacoma said.

The commissioners said they would take under advisement the funding options listed in the library report. After next year's budget is released, the commission will have a better idea as to what it will do, said Commissioner Carol Page.

"I think the community needs to look at the proposal and weigh the implications," she said. "Most consider libraries to be a quality-of-life issue and have been supportive (of tax increases) in the past."

The Davis County Commis- sion will review a preliminary draft of the county's 2006 budget next Tuesday. A public hearing on the budget will be held Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Davis County Courthouse.

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