A west Michigan library that was defunded last year over carrying LGBTQ books in its young adult section won taxpayer funding on the ballot this week.
Voters in Jamestown Township approved an operating millage for Patmos Library on Tuesday by a margin of 63% to 37%. The millage failed on the August 2022 and November 2022 ballots.
Patmos Library gained national attention last year after it refused to remove LGBTQ books from its shelves. Critics said the books exposed young children to sexual content.
Tricia Kryda is the president of a non-profit formed to support the library. She said the library adopted new policies to support the millage's passage.
"Books in the library, especially in the teens and tweens sections, are getting tags — another word would be labels — and it's just a way to let parents know what the book is about," she said.
If the millage hadn't passed, the library would have had to shut down in 2024, she added.
The millage will provide the library with $41.90 for every $100,000 of Jamestown Township taxable home value for a period of three years.
Members of the Library's Board of Trustees did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
