An agreement between Leighton Township and the Leighton District Library is nearing completion after the two entities have been sharing the same building since last October.
The Township Board painstakingly came up with a compromise offer on cost sharing for fire suppression, suggesting the library pay 25 percent and the township 75%. The township originally decided on asking for 40% and the Library Board countered with 10%.
Subcommittees from both entities since then have met and Supervisor Steve Deer reported they came up with the 25-75 figure as a compromise between the two original proposals.
Library officials have argued that they wouldn’t be incurring suppression costs if the new township hall had not been located adjacent. Township officials have maintained that fire suppression will benefit everybody equally so costs should be shared.
The total cost of fire suppression is $72,000.
“We would like to think that we (subcommittee members) have made a lot of progress,” Deer said.
Clerk Mary Lou Nieuwenhuis acknowledged, “I do not like it (the final agreement percentages), but I don’t want to talk about this again. We should do what the subcommittees recommended.”
Deer insisted the district library, which levies one mill for operations, be expected to be financially self sufficient.
Trustee John Hooker replied, “They’ve always been self sufficient.”
The only significant issue that apparently remains is over the sign at the entrance of the complex, which Professional Code Inspections has said does not comply with the township’s sign ordinance. Deer said a new sign will replace the old to conform to local regulations.
The Leighton District Library Board will meet next week to consider the township’s contract offer.
