Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 130, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1903 — The Public Library. [ARTICLE]

The Public Library.

In the circuit court last Tuesday morning, the important question, heretofore in dispute, as to whether the duly organized Library Board or the City Council, had the proper legal right to fix the amount of library tax levy, was ruled on by Judge Talbot. The Library Board fixed the levy at 10 cents on the SIOO and the City Council fixed the rate at 8 cents. The Board claimed that this would not yield sufficient income for the library to meet Carnegie’s stipulations and insisted on the right to make the levy 10 cents. The decision of Judge Talbot is that the law gives the Library Board the right to fix the tax. This will Bettle the matter, unless the City Council decides to appeal to the higher courts, which is not likely, as a prolonged legal fight over this tax matte? now, would delay the erection of the library building, and perhaps defeat it altogether. The library building committee have made final selection of plans and specifications, and forwarded them to the architect, Tuesday.