Pasco voters approve new library tax. Will it mean more branches?
Election results Tuesday night showed Pasco’s Proposition 1 is passing by a wide margin. It will levy a new property tax to pay for Pasco’s library services and annex the city into Mid-Columbia Libraries.
About 61% voted yes, or 5,176 votes, to 39% voting no, or 3,320 votes, as of the Wednesday ballot update. More ballots are expected to be counted before the election is certified.
Library officials and Pasco leaders generally are feeling positive about the vote.
Carlos Orozco, associate director of communications at Mid-Columbia Libraries, told the Tri-City Herald Wednesday morning that the library district is “thankful to the voters.”
He said that the vote “secures Pasco’s library services for the future.”
“We’re looking forward to being a fixture in the community and continuing to serve Pasco,” he said.
Pasco Mayor Charles Grimm also weighed in.
“I appreciate the fact that the vote last night eliminates the city as an unnecessary middleman between the citizens and the taxing district,” he wrote in a statement. “This will also benefit the city’s budget by allowing us to maintain our amenities and infrastructure and keep us more competitive with our neighbors across the creek in regard to quality of life and bolstering law and order.”
But he also has some concerns about the long-term impact of the property tax increase.
“At the same time, I worry about people, including myself, being taxed out of our home someday,” Grimm said.
Annexing into the library district will increase property tax by about $0.23 per $1,000 in assessed property value as soon as 2027. For a $400,000 home, that adds up to $92 each year, or $7.67 per month, in additional property tax.
What comes after annexation?
Next, Mid-Columbia Libraries will work with Franklin County on finalizing the annexation.
Annexing allows the city and Mid-Columbia Libraries to start long-term planning in Pasco, Orozco said.
There are plans to open a library inside the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in east Pasco and early discussions about opening a new Pasco library branch.
Annexation opens up future opportunities for growth. Orozco said that under the library district’s contract with the city, Mid-Columbia Libraries couldn’t plan for building additional libraries in Pasco.
Later this year, Mid-Columbia Libraries will gather public feedback with a customer satisfaction survey to evaluate library services and determine community needs in the Tri-Cities area.
This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 3:02 PM.
