The Multnomah County Commissioners are set to decide Thursday whether to ask voters to approve a Library District — but the vote could affect more than libraries.

A library district in Multnomah County would fund libraries with dedicated property tax revenue. That would mean not just a hike in property taxes, but also a cut in Portland’s city services. Portland¹s office of finance found that a library district would mean a loss of seven million dollars a year from the city¹s general fund.

That’s because of an Oregon tax rule that limits how much a property can be taxed. Jeff Cogen is the Multnomah County Chair. He says that no one wants to see city services cut, but that dedicated revenue is crucial to Multnomah County libraries. He says the county will help Portland cope with the loss of funds.

“If we do decide to go with a library district, and it does have a negative impact on the city, I am absolutely confident that we will work with the city to try and minimize the impact on the city,” he said.

If Multnomah County Commissioners vote to send the Library District to the voters the issue will appear on the November ballot.

This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.