“If people want to read books, why don’t they just go buy them at book stores?” — A Hastings Township Democratic trustee 25 years ago.
“Why don’t you go to the library and educate yourself, if you’ve got any guts.” — Frank Zappa, 1966
The Dorr Township Library is scrambling right now to mount a campaign for public support with a millage request on the Aug. 6, 2019, special election ballot.
Unfortunately, in these days of modern times, such noble institutions are forced to resort to attention-grabbing gimmicks to persuade township residents to vote in support of a millage increase to fund operations beginning in the year 2020.
It is isn’t easy selling a tax increase on behalf of a public service that is struggling to meet rising expenses with a budget that has flatlined in revenue.
But that is the task ahead this summer for the Dorr Township Board and Friends of the Library, who are asking voters to approve a one-mill levy for 10 years.
The library has gotten along barely on three-tenths of a mill approved 10 years ago, but not only has it been reduced by the Headlee Amendment provisions, it also expires at the end of this year.
The Township Board provides $40,000 in added support each year.
Library Board President Rachel Vote has tried to tell anyone who will listen that if the proposal doesn’t pass in August, the library will have to cut staff, reduce hours and reduce services. And some folks publicly have indicated they don’t believe her.
Libraries are traditional public institutions in America that have been revered as promoters of education to people who otherwise couldn’t afford the materials. Because townships residents pay a one-mill tax annually, everybody gets to use the library free of charge.
But Dorr Township voters rejected a millage proposal in August 2018 by a hefty 1,070 to 634 margin. Library officials and friends have been scrambling since to ask for public support again before that Dec. 31, 2019 deadline hits.
That’s why gimmicks, marketing, advertising and attention-getters must join the campaign.
Kevin Carl Brooks, in a Facebook posting that featured Marilyn Monroe (to get your attention), said, “Everyone has their own reasons for supporting the public library; if you don’t have a reason, find one. Take a few minutes to see all the programs that the Dorr Township Library offers online and onsite! Marilyn liked smart men. I’m sure they used a library at one time or another; even the Library of Congress!”
Vote has said, “The current millage expires in December of this year so we have limited time to pass something.”
She told the Township Board last winter, “If there isn’t a strong library in the community, property values will decrease. Local residents will have to pay for services, we’ll lose our director (Elyshia Schafer) and we’ll have to cut staff.”
Library proponents have maintained the millage would allow for increased hours and staff, to add to its collections, fulfill more specific requests, and update facilities, continuing to access books and movies with partner institutions, as well as providing spaces for local groups and organizations.
The library’s web site has done a question-and-answer routine in anticipation of public queries:
Why is the library seeking a millage?
The library’s current millage expires at the end of 2019. Without the millage, the library would lose over one-third of our funding and with the remaining money would not be able to operate with our current hours, current number of staff or even offer our current services.
Why is the library seeking a millage increase?
The library is seeking to increase its millage to 1 mil. 10 years ago the library passed .3 of a mil. Since that time we have been reduced by the Headlee Amendment to .2951, putting us in the lowest percentile for publicly funded libraries of our size. In fact, we are one of only 2 libraries that levy only one millage at less than .4 mils, with the average being .9180 for townships/libraries of our size. Even when levying .3, we were not able to function without extra support of the township. Recently, we have asked for another increase from the township which we feel will only add a little extra wiggle room in case of an emergency.
How are libraries funded?
Most public libraries are funded primarily by a voter-passed millage, penal fines, state aid, and miscellaneous income that includes fines, fees, grants and donations.
How is Dorr Library funded?
Our library is currently funded primarily by a voter-passed millage, a township appropriation, penal fines, state aid, and miscellaneous income that includes fines, fees, grants and donations.
Millage: The library is primarily funded by local property taxes. Our .2951 millage makes up about 39% of our current budget.
Penal Fines: The library’s next highest contributor for income is local penal fines. This source of income has been steadily decreasing over the years and many libraries can no longer rely in it as a signification source of funding.
Township Appropriation: Dorr Township supplements the library’s income by a little over 25% in order to help us provide our current level of services to the public.
From my personal perspective, my two children were read to often every week from books taken out of the Henika Library. They both became intensely interested in reading and I sincerely believe it helped them both to earn bachelor’s degrees in college.
It’s been said that if you want to make kids smarter and more interested in education, read to them. So supporting your local library is really a year-round investment in your community’s children.
This seems very doom and gloom orientated. They make it sound like the library is going to close but in the same breath they say that with the increase they will increase hours, staff, and resources available.
Under the heading: “Why is the library seeking a millage increase?” There is not a single reason in this explanation for why the library is seeking a millage increase. There is, however, a smattering of facts of how other libraries compare to ours with regard to mils, although not necessarily actual funds received. As noted in the article, outside of the mil, the township subsidizes $40k / year.
Are penal fines decreasing because fewer people are using the library? If that is the case, why do we need to increase hours and staffing?
I can understand the reason to keep the current mil rate, I could even justify voting for a total of 0.5 mil or 0.6 mil to help cover those additional fixed expenses. A jump to 1 mil is just too big of a leap. An increase of 333% simply cannot be justified if the current 0.3 mil allows them to continue to operate, albeit with the accompaniment of the townships cash. They also don’t mention if the subsidizing from the township will end if the 1 mil is passed.
If they really want to get the support of the public, they must do a better job of explaining what they plan to do with the extra funds and WHY those funds are required (required, not wanted, required).
Best of luck to them. If I see anything 0.6 mil or less, I’ll be happy to vote for it but the library simply has not justified to me a reason for a budget increase of over 300%.
Mike, I’m not sure you understand penal fines and library funding. Penal fines are what are assessed by people violating auto related laws, such as speed limit violations. They are also incurred by people violating other civil codes. According to the State constitution, some of these funds are earmarked for libraries. Penal fines are not to be confused with overdue fines assessed for overdue library materials. Such fines as overdue fees do very little to contribute to the library’s overall income.
I agree with you. I feel if the need is so dire they should have asked for what is needed to maintain the status quo. First maintain, then later ask for more. Unfortunately many Dorr residents use the libraries closest to where they work instead of live. Why pay several hundred dollars for a service they do not use? I feel asking for so much may have been a mistake and a disservice to those of us who do regularly use our hometown library.
It’s unfortunate that most people don’t understand the convoluted ins and outs of libraries in MI. To assume one is supporting a library one doesn’t use if a person frequents a library closest to where they work is incorrect. If you don’t have a local library, or your municipality doesn’t contract with an adjacent municipality for free library services for its residents, you might be required to purchase services from another library in the form of an annual users fee. In addition, if you do not have a local library that has membership in a library cooperative, you might have to pony up similar users fees. Specifically, if you support The Dorr Township library, you automatically have all the rights and privileges of use of all 81 libraries in the Lakeland Library Cooperative. For free! If Dorr did not have a library, or contract with another library to serve its residents, you would have to purchase individual memberships in each library that belongs to the Lakeland Coop that you would like to use. That can get really costly really quickly.
The millage you pay to the Dorr Township Library goes an incredibly long way when you consider all the services you get locally as well as those you get from the Coop in terms of interlibrary loan, free delivery of materials to your local library, and other services too many to include here.
Bottom line, your tax dollar buys you services you have yet to imagine when you consider what is beyond the walls of the Dorr Library.
You are correct. My misunderstanding.