Delta County homeowners would pay $40 more per year on average to rescue their libraries if a ballot measure passes on Tuesday.

CPR reports that the library system endured cuts of $650,000 since 2011, and hours would be slashed further in the absence of new revenue.

Delta is one of 11 library districts to have funding up for a vote this November, largely in rural areas.

Pueblo city and county are the largest jurisdiction, with a 0.6 mill levy increase to pay for enhanced services to the aging, programming and technology.

Loveland’s ballot measure includes funding for a new library, while Manitou Springs’s library is part of a larger $400,000 proposal that includes arts and cultural programming as well.

According to CPR, Colorado law specifies minimum levels of service for libraries, and mandates they be open no less than 20 hours per week.

In the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly provided $3 million to the Department of Education to provide grants for school, public and academic libraries. One hundred ten public libraries and 175 schools received the money.