EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of articles attempting to explain the Dorr Township Library millage request in the Aug. 6 special election. They are written by Library Board President Rachel Vote.
I have received several requests on how people can support the Dorr Township Library.
The first way you can support the library is by spreading the word that we are on the Tuesday, Aug. 6, ballot. It is important that everyone understands that the current library millage will expire this year and without a new millage the library will lose a significant amount of funding and be unable to continue offering the services and programs patrons currently receive.
The second way you can support the library is by joining the Dorr to Lifelong Learning Yes Committee. This committee plans and implements ways we can successfully pass this millage in the most cost effective manner. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 9 at Five Lakes Brewing Co. All are welcome!
The most important way you can help support the Dorr Township Library is by casting a YES vote on your ballot on Aug. 6. If you are unable to vote for any reason on the day of the election, Michigan allows all registered voters to vote using an absentee ballot without having to provide a reason for not being able to vote in person.
To obtain an absentee ballot, you can go to the Dorr Township web site and fill out an absentee ballot application (http://www.dorrtownship.org/election-voter-info) or call the clerk’s office at (616) 681-9874 and request an application be mailed to you.
According to the Secretary of State web site, applications for absentee ballots must be received by the township clerk no later than the Friday before the election (Aug. 2). Completed ballots must be returned to the clerk’s office no later than 8 p.m. the day of the election.
Whether you vote absentee or vote in person, I strongly encourage you to vote YES in support of the millage request.
Thank you for the information and for what you do for the good people of Dorr.
I still do not understand why, since the situation is dire, the library board took such a huge gamble on this! Why did they not ask for a reasonable amount and ensure the safety of our library? Why put our library at risk?! It seems greedy and irresponsible to ask for so much. As a regular user of our library this makes me angry. I wish Ms Vote would address this in her next column: Why not first ask for what is necessary to continue, then later ask for more? Why take such a risk since the last millage proposal (.8 mills) was soundly turned down?
On another note, a non-resident can get a library card through Henika library for $40 annually. Unfortunately this card only allows access to material in Henika, no digital content such as Libby, or interlibrary loans. That being said, $40 annually is a lot less than $150+ annually.
Small Town Gal , with my greatest respect to your views (I have had many, many years of experience as library director in Wayland), there can be multiple reasons for asking for so much money at this time. I would suggest that your best option to get the information you seek would be to request some time with the library director or the board president to go over budget practices and funding sources for the Dorr library. I can’t speak to their specific situation, but I can be fairly certain that they have deliberated carefully before deciding on this course.
From my own incredibly biased point of view, the $150 annual investment in your tax dollars can be put in stark perspective when compared to other expenses the average person makes during a year. Now I know that this example didn’t ever apply to me, and may not to you either, but if you were a person who regularly purchased specialty coffee from someplace like Starbuck’s, you wouldn’t think twice about 21 cups of cappuccino per year as excessive. Some people drop $150 in a single visit to the casino without blinking an eye. I certainly can’t make assumptions about your spending preferences, but there might be something in which you indulge that might offer a comparison to what I consider to be a reasonable investment in your library for what you get in return.
As you said, $40 can buy you a Henika Library card, but that card wouldn’t buy you access to e-services like books, periodicals, or movies. It also would not allow you interlibrary loan from other Lakeland libraries. And your support of Henika would not increase the property values of your home in Dorr as would having a top-notch library right in your community.
As I said, I’m highly biased in my advocacy of libraries. You can’t beat having a library in your town to which your children can access worlds of wonder. You can’t beat having one of America’s greatest gifts to its citizens – free knowledge, uncensored and well-selected to meet your community’s needs – governed by your own community members, accountable to you voters and open to your suggestions and wants.
Sure, you can buy a library card from someplace else, but when you want to be on the library board, you won’t be eligible. If you have concerns or complaints, will your opinions be given the same weight as those of people who pay taxes to support the library?
Like anything else, true commitment to the finer things requires stepping up with your vote, your voice, and your financial resources.
Again, I respect your views, and encourage you to speak to those who came to the decision to ask for this important financial commitment. These decisions are never made lightly, and you won’t get your best answers in this forum. You need to go straight to the horse’s mouth for your best answers.
Thanks for indulging a retired librarian her voice! And best of results in seeking the information you desire!