Hudson Area Joint Library Considers a Plan to Revert to a Municipal Library

Library board president asks for city referendum on funding. (Hudson Star-Observer, 1/31/2013)

The Hudson Area Joint Library is a joint library created under the terms and provisions of Wisconsin State Statutes 43.53.   The 4 partners include:

Three of the partners -- the Village of North Hudson, Town of Hudson, and Town of St. Joseph -- have served notice to leave the library at the end of 2013.  According to library board president Barbara Peterson, these three municipalities might reconsider their decisions if St. Croix County agrees to lower the library levy from 100% to 70% of the cost for providing services to "non-libraried" residents, i.e, those who live in areas of the county that don't have a library.  According to Wisconsin State Statutes 43.12, 70% is the minimum reimbursement amount that a county shall pay.

As a result of this situation,.....

....City of Hudson residents will pay $277,173 into the St. Croix County library levy in 2013. The City's level of support is significantly below the minimum level to exempt itself from the county library tax.  According to the Wisconsin Public Library Service Record for 2011, the City received a payment of $66,674 from St. Croix County in 2011.

The following numbers are based on Peterson's statement that total funding from the four municipal partners has remained flat at $629,025 for five years.

Based on the comments by members of the Hudson Council, the library board's request for a referendum to increase library funding is likely to be a tough sell.

Here's how the discussion was diplomatically summarized in the minutes of the January, 28, 2013, council meeting.

Related posts:
Four years of flat funding.  (12/26/2012)
Funding the library on the cheap.  (11/1/2012)
Looking at the options for the Hudson Area Library.  (10/9/2012)

Town of Hudson Serves Notice to Withdraw from Hudson Area Library

Hudson Area Library

Town of Hudson gives notice of intent to leave joint library. (Hudson Star-Observer, 10/19/2012)

The town's intent is to withdraw at the end of 2013, although the notice they sent to the Hudson Area Joint Library Board of Trustees includes the right to rescind this decision.   The deadline for this reconsideration is August 31, 2012.

As much as they'd like to continue as a partner in the joint library......

Related posts:
Looking at the options for the Hudson Area Library.  (10/9/2012)
Getting to know chapter 43 of the Wisconsin state statutes in real life.  (4/2/2012)
Getting to know chapter 43 of the Wisconsin state statutes, part 24:  county tax.  (3/27/2012)

Getting to Know Chapter 43 of the Wisconsin State Statutes in Real Life

Municipal leaders tackle library funding.  (Hudson Star-Observer, 3/29/2012)

Excerpt:   The top elected officials in the four municipalities that operate the Hudson Area Joint Library on Tuesday morning held their first meeting how satisfy a state requirement on funding the library. 

In attendance were Hudson Mayor Alan Burchill, Hudson Town Board Chairman Jeff Johnson, North Hudson Village President George Klein and St. Joseph Town Chairman Dan Gavin. 

County Board Chairman Daryl Standafer, County Administrator Pat Thompson, Hudson City Council President Lori Bernard, Hudson Alderperson John Hoggatt, Library Board member Roy Sjoberg and library steering committee member Jim O’Connor also sat in on the meeting. 

City Finance Officer Neil Soltis presented the funding option scenarios and other information to the group. 

The meeting was in response to the Feb. 28 revelation that the municipal partners haven’t been funding the joint library to the level paid by the residents of other municipalities in the county. 

The four municipalities were made exempt from the county library tax when they formed the joint library in 2002. 

But to be exempt from the tax, they had to certify that they were funding the library to at least the county level. 

The certification was supposed to have taken place annually, but didn’t. In the interim, the partner municipalities’ library support has fallen behind the county library levy.

Related post:
Getting to know chapter 43 of the Wisconsin state statutes:  Part 24, county tax.  (3/27/2012)

New Hudson Library Location a Big Hit

Hudson Area Joint Library moves to the Lakefront Park area.    (Hudson Star-Observer, 8/26/2011)

Excerpt: The new location for the Hudson Library has been a hit. From February to May of 2011, over 56,000 people have walked through their doors. And compared to their circulation from early last year, their circulation has increased 32 percent.

Located at 700 First St., the Hudson Area Joint Library now occupies most of the building at the corner of Vine and First streets, across from Lakefront Park and the St. Croix River and right next door to The Phipps Center for the Arts.

The library leases its new space from the City of Hudson who owns the building. The Hudson Police Department occupies a portion of the building as well.

The library is flooded with natural light from numerous large windows and has many environmentally friendly features.

The first floor includes a spacious atrium, the circulation desk, computer lab and study rooms. The second floor which is accessible via a wide, winding stairwell or by elevator, is home to the children’s library and story room, adult fiction and non-fiction, and the periodicals. There is also a history room, a special area for teens and several meeting rooms as well as the Friends of the Library Bookstore. The new library also offers community meeting rooms and provides much needed work and office space for library employees.

Challenges of Joint Library Funding and Governance

Library hires consultant to address issues. (Hudson Star-Observer, 5/18/2011)

Excerpt:  Among the items on the table are a capital campaign for ultimately purchasing the building in which the library is located. The structure is currently owned by the city of Hudson. In addition, however, the library must find a path for raising more funds for operations and getting a “fairer” share of tax revenue.

“Right now we (the volunteer Library Board) are flying the airplane and we’re running low on fuel,” Howard said about the library’s financial situation.

The funding issue, however, is very complex. First, the library involves four municipalities (city of Hudson, village of North Hudson and the towns of Hudson and St. Joseph). That makes any decision much more difficult and efforts to increase tax funding very difficult; all four municipalities become involved in basic decisions. Secondly, regardless of where funding comes from, the library is operating far below basic funding levels.

“The Hudson Library is in the bottom 10 percent per capita of funding in the state of Wisconsin,” said Hudson Library Board Trustee Dave Smith. “I don’t believe we are a ‘bottom 10 percent’ community. Part of what the consultant will do is hopefully raise the community’s awareness level. The public has to see the situation.”

Letter:  Support library.  (6/3/2011)
Letter:  Corrects writer.  (6/3/2011)
Letter:  Unhappy with library.  (5/27/2011)

Related articles:
Library begins strategic planning process.  (1/17/2011)  
Joint library budget dance.  (10/18/2010)
Library president envisions new library as community center, first-class facility. (8/9/2010)
New library should open in June.  (3/29/2010)
Library, police remodeling plans approved.  (2/18/2010)
Rep. Kind News Release: Hudson Library Receives Grant. (1/29/2010)
Hudson City Council has concerns about library floor plan. (1/28/2010)
Hudson Board Approves Plan for New Library. (1/14/2010)
Hudson Area Joint Library Board Approves Lease Agreement. (12/16/2009)
Hudson City Council Purchases Building for Shared Library/Police Facility. (12/10/2009)
Interview with Hudson Mayor Dean Knudson. (11/12/2009)
Hudson City Council Plans to Buy Building for Possible Police/Library Facility. (10/22/2009)
Bursting at the Seams. (3/31/2009)

Hudson Area Library Begins Strategic Planning Process

Hudson Area Library

Committee is formulating a vision for the library.   (Hudson Star-Observer, 1/7/2011)

Excerpt: “The key of knowing what you need is knowing what the library should be,” said Rob Howard, North Hudson’s representative on the library board and the chair of its communications subcommittee. “We’re kind of reinventing the library. We need to know who we are.”

The process started in early November when Steve and Terri Wilcox led a visioning session attended by 35 residents of the four municipalities served by the library.

Over the past decade the Wilcoxes have led similar planning sessions for corporations, nonprofits and Rotary clubs through their business Resultants for Business Inc.

The library group went through a brainstorming process identifying: 1. What the library stands for; 2. Its attributes; 3. Its programs, projects and activities; 4. Its marketing and communication efforts; 5. Its future functions; and 6. What the library’s facilities will look like and be used for.

The group picked building partnerships with businesses, the arts community, nonprofit organizations and schools as a top priority.

It also embraced sponsoring Chautauqua-style programs, more adult programming and purchasing the entire 700 First St. building — along with numerous other goals.

Related articles:
Joint library budget dance.  (10/18/2010)
Library president envisions new library as community center, first-class facility. (8/9/2010)
New library should open in June.  (3/29/2010)
Library, police remodeling plans approved.  (2/18/2010)
Rep. Kind News Release: Hudson Library Receives Grant. (1/29/2010)
Hudson City Council has concerns about library floor plan. (1/28/2010)
Hudson Board Approves Plan for New Library. (1/14/2010)
Hudson Area Joint Library Board Approves Lease Agreement. (12/16/2009)
Hudson City Council Purchases Building for Shared Library/Police Facility. (12/10/2009)
Interview with Hudson Mayor Dean Knudson. (11/12/2009)
Hudson City Council Plans to Buy Building for Possible Police/Library Facility. (10/22/2009)
Bursting at the Seams. (3/31/2009)

The Wisconsin Joint Library Budget Dance

Link to October 14 Hudson Star-Observer article, "Library presentation sparks spirited North Hudson discussion".

Excerpt: No action was taken Tuesday, Oct. 5, but a library request for more money from the village of North Hudson made for a lively village board meeting.

Library Board President Roy Sjoberg made the appeal to boost the village’s funding to $90,110.84, which would be a 6.43 percent increase from 2010 funding, or a $5,380.84 increase over last year.

Sjoberg has been meeting with the four municipalities that are part of the Hudson Area Joint Library (city of Hudson, village of North Hudson, town of St. Joseph and town of Hudson).  [Added emphasis notes the budget dance venues.]

So far he has met with mixed results, the most disappointing being the rejection of the plan to increase funding by the city of Hudson on Sept. 20. The city, however, may still reconsider the library funding before finalizing the budget.

North Hudson trustees tabled the item and will consider it further during budget deliberation this month.

The presentation included many citizens coming to the podium in support of the library, but at least one opposed any tax increases supporting the operations of the library.


Meanwhile, on the Town of Hudson dance floor.....

Link to October 14 Hudson Star-Observer article, "Hudson Town Board considers library request".

Excerpt:     The library board was looking for an increase of $12,094.84, which, if passed, would work out to be about $1.52 extra per person, per year in taxes. The increase would go toward hiring a full-time staff member, and increasing the hours of operation by an additional seven hours per week. This budget increase would, according to the library board, save the Town of Hudson $33,664 next year. Attributing to the savings are the fact that the library would be open longer, and would be even more convenient to local residents, keeping them from going to other area libraries, such as Somerset or River Falls, because if local residents borrow from those libraries, the library and town are on the hook for $2.65 per item at River Falls, and $2.69 per item checked out in Somerset. These costs are figured into the budget of the local library, and if residents begin checking out items at the Hudson Area Library instead of others, it would actually save the town the extra expenses.

The town board was not enthusiastic about the budget increase.

New Hudson Area Joint Library Should Open in June

New location of Hudson Area Joint Library

Link to March 26 Hudson Star-Observer article.

Excerpt:   With the renovations underway at what will be the new home of the Hudson Area Joint Library, plans for the move are being finalized.

According to Library Board president Jim O’Connor, Keller Construction is working on removing and relocating partitions on both levels of the library’s portion of 700 First St. and the excavation has begun for the installation of a new elevator.

O’Connor said they anticipate that current library at 911 Fourth St. will close for approximately three weeks beginning in mid May during which time the books, equipment and furnishings will be moved to the new location. They hope to reopen the new library sometime in early June.

O’Connor said the Hudson Rotary clubs have already volunteered to assist with the move.

Related articles:
Library, police remodeling plans approved.  (2/18/2010)
Rep. Kind News Release: Hudson Library Receives Grant. (1/29/2010)
Hudson City Council has concerns about library floor plan. (1/28/2010)
Hudson Board Approves Plan for New Library. (1/14/2010)
Hudson Area Joint Library Board Approves Lease Agreement. (12/16/2009)
Hudson City Council Purchases Building for Shared Library/Police Facility. (12/10/2009)
Interview with Hudson Mayor Dean Knudson. (11/12/2009)
Hudson City Council Plans to Buy Building for Possible Police/Library Facility. (10/22/2009)
Bursting at the Seams. (3/31/2009)

Hudson, Wisconsin: Library, police remodeling plans approved

Future home of Hudson Area Joint Library

Link to February 18 Hudson Star-Observer article. (You may need to create a free account to access full text.)

Excerpt: The council approved the plans for the Hudson Police Department prepared by Frisbie Architects of River Falls and authorized advertising for a contractor to do the work.

It also approved plans for remodeling the first- and second-floor space that will be occupied by the Hudson Area Joint Library. Those plans were drafted by the library’s architectural firm, the BKV Group.

The library will be the city’s tenant in the building. It also is advertising for a contractor to do the remodeling.

The library board approved the remodeling plans in a meeting shortly before the special City Council meeting Thursday night.


Related articles:

Rep. Kind News Release: Hudson Library Receives Grant. (1/29/2010)

Hudson City Council has concerns about library floor plan. (1/28/2010)

Hudson Board Approves Plan for New Library. (1/14/2010)

Hudson Area Joint Library Board Approves Lease Agreement. (12/16/2009)

Hudson City Council Purchases Building for Shared Library/Police Facility. (12/10/2009)

Interview with Hudson Mayor Dean Knudson. (11/12/2009)

Hudson City Council Plans to Buy Building for Possible Police/Library Facility. (10/22/2009)

Bursting at the Seams. (3/31/2009)

Rep. Kind News Release: Hudson Library Receives Grant

Congressman Ron Kind's homepage

Hudson City Council has concerns about library floor plan

Link to January 28 Hudson (WI) Star-Observer report. (Need to register for free account to access full text.)

Excerpt: A review of the Hudson Area Joint Library’s plans for the new city building at 700 First St. raised concern among some members of the Hudson City Council at their Jan. 18 meeting.

Four council members expressed reservations about giving blanket approval to the floor plans drafted by BKV Group, the library’s architect for its renovations to the building.

In the end, the council gave general approval to the layout of the library’s second floor and the east wing of the first floor. Council members also approved the location of a new elevator and a basement mechanical room to serve it.

But they reserved judgment on the design of the lobby and a drive-up or walk-up book drop-off window on the rear (north) wall of the library.

Hudson Board Approves Plans for New Library

Link to January 13 Hudson Star-Observer article. (Access to full text may require free registration.)

Excerpt: The Hudson Area Joint Library Board got a glimpse Monday night at what the new library will look like when it moves to 700 First St. this spring.

Drawings of the floor plan of both levels in the new facility were presented by architect Cindy McCleary of BKV Group Architects and Engineers of Minneapolis. BKV was the original designer of the building when it was constructed by Erickson Diversified. They were also the firm that was consulted by the Hudson Library Foundation in 2008 when they were looking into the purchase of the building and the cost to renovate it. In addition to her firm’s familiarity with the building and its new use, McCleary herself has significant experience in designing and planning libraries throughout the region.

According to board president Jim O’Connor, the renovations to the 20,000 square foot space are expected to cost $500,000. The money will come from several sources including from impact fees collected by the City of Hudson and the Village of North Hudson over the past 10 years, a federal grant of $147,000 that has been requested, and donations that have been made and saved for the purpose of a new library of around $150,000.

Hudson Area Joint Library Board Approves Lease Agreement

Link to December 16 Hudson Star-Observer article, "Library board approves lease". (Access to full text may require login.)

Excerpt: The board of the Hudson Area Joint Library on Monday night gave final approval to leasing 20,000 square feet of the Nuclear Management Co. building at the corner of First and Vine streets.

The 7-0 vote sets the ground for the city of Hudson to finalize its purchase of the NMC property. The library plans to move into the former corporate headquarters building in the spring of 2010.

The city had until Wednesday (Dec. 16) to inform Xcel Energy, owner of the building, whether it intended to go ahead with purchase. The city would lose $100,000 in earnest money if it backed out now.

The initial term of the library’s lease is for five years, beginning Jan. 1, 2010. The rental rate during the first year is $120,000, but the library will pay just $5,000 per month for the first three months.

Hudson City Council Purchases Building for Shared Library/Police Facility

Hudson Area Joint Library

Link to December 9 Hudson Star-Observer article, "City Council votes to buy NMC building". (You may need to create a free account to access full text.)

Excerpt: Monday night, the Hudson City Council authorized Mayor Dean Knudson to sign documents finalizing the city’s purchase of the Nuclear Management Co. property for $2.5 million.

The unanimous decision makes it nearly certain that the Hudson Area Joint Library and the Hudson Police Department will be moving into the former corporate headquarters building at 700 First St. in 2010.

The library board must reapprove a slightly modified lease agreement and a minor property title issue has to be resolved before the deal can be finalized.

The board is expected to approve the amended lease when it meets next Monday night.

Interview with Hudson Mayor Dean Knudson

Link to November 11 Hudson Star-Observer article, "Mayor addresses library questions ". (You may need to register for a free account to access full article.)

Questions answered (excerpts):
1. Why was a referendum required for the 2008 proposal but not this time?
No referendum is required under this plan because municipal library support is not being increased.

2. With the current economic recession, high unemployment and weak real estate market, is this a good time to expand the library and raise taxes?
This plan does not raise taxes.

3. Will the library ever be able to expand into the entire building at 700 First St.?
When donations are sufficient, the library may purchase the building and the police department will move into a new facility.

4. Is it smart to have the police department and the library in the same building? Is it safe?
In the proposed sharing plan, the police will have a separate entrance from the parking lot, as well as private access through the underground parking. Expert analysis of this building has indicated that it is suitable for shared use.

Hudson Library Board Approves Lease Agreement

Link to November 10 Hudson Star-Observer article, "Library Board agrees to lease space in the NMC building". (You may need to register for free account to access article.)

Excerpt: The Hudson Area Joint Library Board voted 6 to 1 Monday night to lease 20,000 square feet of floor space in the Nuclear Management Co. building to serve as the new home for the library.

The decision clears the way for the city of Hudson to buy the now-vacant corporate headquarters property on Vine Street between First and Second streets.

The City Council on Oct. 19 approved an agreement to purchase the property, but the $2.5 million deal was contingent upon the library agreeing to move into the NMC building. The city has until Dec. 16 to opt out of the purchase agreement without losing $100,000 in earnest money that it put down.

The library will pay a beginning rent of $120,000 a year (or $6 per square foot of floor space) under the five-year lease approved by the board.

Hudson City Council Plans to Buy Building for Possible Police/Library Facility

Link to October 22 Hudson Star-Observer article, "City plans to buy NMC building".

Excerpt: In 2008, the Hudson Area Library Foundation proposed moving the Hudson library to the former corporate headquarters building. That proposal, however, failed to receive the needed support from all four municipal partners of the library in a November 2008 referendum.

Knudson resurrected the idea of the building being used for public purposes after a study by Frisbie Architects found the city’s public safety departments – and the police department in particular – to be in need of additional space.

The mayor proposed moving the police department and the library into the building.

In Tuesday’s phone call, he said he envisions a two-stage plan for the building. During the initial five-year period, the police and library would share the building. Then the library would buy the NMC building and the police would move into a new public safety building built by the city.

Hudson Considers Purchase of Building for Shared Police/Library Facility

Link to October 14 Hudson Star-Observer article, "City still considering purchase of NMC building for police, library".

Excerpt: “We’ve been working on a completely different approach” to remodeling and using the building than the $10 million plan put forth by the Hudson Area Library Foundation in 2008, [Hudson Mayor Dean] Knudson said. “If we go forward with this now, it will look almost nothing like that plan.”

For example, the floors of the building wouldn’t require the expensive reinforcement that was called for the initial proposal, according to the mayor. He said that plan assumed a building filled with seven- or eight-foot shelves stacked with books, but many libraries don’t have shelves that high anymore.

Cue the Dragnet theme music. This article raises a number of red flags for me. "Working on a completely different approach"? And who is "we"? "Look almost nothing like that plan", in reference to the Hudson Area Library Foundation, whose members are, perhaps, as surprised as I am this morning.

Not to be sacreligious, but I hear the words of an old hymn inside my head.

"Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."

By the way, this is the same mayor who, among others, threw a hissy fit this summer over a deservedly unflattering library assessment report.

Letter Writers Support Hudson Library

(Saving you the hassle of having to log in to the opinion page of the Hudson Star-Observer.)

Letter #1

An informed and educated electorate is the foundation of a functioning democracy and a stable community. An up-to-date library is a formidable tool to go hand in hand with a strong system of public education.

We shortchange ourselves by turning a blind eye to the deficiencies in the existing library, especially when the economy wavers for so many.

If you support an improved library, perhaps you should remind your elected officials of your concern.

Letter #2
The recent brouhaha over the Indianhead Federated Library System report has served only to obscure a more important issue, that of community growth with its accompanying need for enhanced infrastructure.

I’ve lived in the town of Hudson for a little over 10 years, and I’ve watched with amazement as the surrounding farms have been turned into subdivisions, and two-lane roads have been replaced with four-lane highways.

The community of greater Hudson has witnessed the building of a new hospital facility, a new elementary school and numerous commercial and industrial facilities on the hill. As the population has grown, so has the infrastructure that is needed to support it.

It is within this context that the Hudson Area Joint Library’s status must be considered. Comparing our local library facility to other libraries seems to result in unproductive arguments about the validity of the statistics presented (no matter who is presenting them!). Why not compare the current status of the library’s service capabilities with that of ten years ago? Has the floor space, staffing, and collection grown as the population of the service area has multiplied? The answer would be “no.”

As local municipalities prepare their budgets for the coming year, they will struggle to allocate funding for all of the demands of their growing communities. It is to be hoped that decisions will be made not in terms of “either-or” but rather in a spirit of community awareness; that all needs will be considered and an attempt made to spread the limited funds equitably.

Our library provides a valuable community service, especially in stressful economic times. Attendance at the children’s Summer Reading Program, for example, is up 300 percent from five years ago, yet the physical space for the programs remains the same.

It is time for the Hudson Area Joint Library to be included in plans for a growing local infrastructure.

Indianhead Federated Library System Director John Thompson also responds to the criticisms leveled at him by Hudson Mayor Dean Knudson

Speaking Up for Libraries

This one in particular.

Two responses to the August 12 Hudson Star-Observer article, "Library board rejects report".

I don't need any reports at all. The Hudson library is and always has been inadequate. It's not an inviting, comfortable place to be. It's difficult to talk to librarians, no room for lines, no privacy. The best thing to happen to us as library users was the online catalog. Most of the books/materials we check out come from outside libraries. A community like Hudson should not rely on other, mostly smaller communities to supply our citizens with the materials they want/need. I don't have kids in the schools but that's where a big chunk of my tax dollar goes- as it should be, these kids are our future. The library is a place where I should be able to see and enjoy my tax dollars at work. It should be a place for young and old alike to relax, read, listen to music, use and expand your imagination. Hard as the staff tries, this library falls far short. I'm not buying it that the mayor isn't against a newer/better library. I think the way the referendum was set up it was meant to fail. Having great services costs money. A great library is an incredible value for it's citizens. Really, the best bargain around.

This 2nd response doesn't have the ringingly direct message of the first one. The writer is certainly "speaking up", but it's unclear to me how urgent it is to make improvements in an allegedly substandard library. He certainly takes Hudson's mayor to task.

This is not the first time a report by any group, anywhere, has not found the Hudson Library to be seriously lacking in all areas of comparison. I would definitely question the motivations of a mayor who takes time out of his busy schedule to prepare and deliver a powerpoint presentation to the city council that basically attacks a city department. As for the town chairs, what they know and understand about the library wouldn't fill a thimble. It's nice to know that the town chairs are willing to keep enabling Hudson to pull money from the library budget for rent and to process payroll--I guess they don't mind throwing their tax dollars into the city's pot. As a taxpayer, I DO mind, however. St. Joe needs to opt out of the joint library agreement. It's moronic to keep paying for a facility that a majority of St. Joe residents do not even use because it is so substandard. As for the mayor, he doesn't hate all libraries--just this one. If that were not the case, he wouldn't put so much energy into trashing a report that would have never received this much attention from anyone and would have died a quiet death as the countless reports of library inadequacy have died over the years. Here's an idea for the HSO: why don't you do your own comparison? Why should anyone believe the mayor's data without comparing it to anything else? Chicken?