You've probably heard of Prop U, but what about Prop L?

St. Louis County residents will see a proposition L on their ballots on August 4th.

The measure is championed by Webster Groves Public Library and is seeking approval for a 12-cent increase on every 100-dollars worth of residential and commercial property. The money would go to the library's property tax levy.

However, the library's current tax levy was approved in 2009 and is set to expire in 2029. That means in 2029, the increase would drop by 4.5 cents.

John Egel, Webster Groves' Reference Librarian, said the funding increase is necessary for a few reasons, mainly because the library operates like a school and it's own taxing district, meaning 90% of it's funding comes from local property taxes.

He adds that the proposition is on the ballot this year because when the current levy expires in 2029, the library's funding would match or be below it's operational costs.

"We're looking at planning ahead for that instead of reacting on January 1st, 2029," Egel said.

He added that the existing tax levy is outdated, since it's based on numbers from 2009.

"Minimum wage was $7.50 in 2009, it's $15 now," he said. "Our e-resources, so e-books, audiobooks, things like that, our budget in 2009 was $0. This year it's going to be close to $100,000."

Egel said if a new tax levy is not approved by 2029, the library will be at risk for a budget deficit. And that the library hasn't asked for an increase since 2009, when it underwent major renovations and added a third story.

"This year, our building is celebrating it's 75th anniversary," Egel said. "So it's an old building. Even the expansion part, the new part of the building, is pushing 15-yeard-old."

Find out if community residents are largely for or against Prop L at the podcast above.