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.