Sunday, May 13, 2012

Joint Library Negotiations C...o...n...t...i...n...u...e


Library agreement may be near. Consolidation referendum may delay agreement. (Sussex Sun, 5/8/2012)

Excerpt:   Negotiators for the Town of Lisbon and the Village of Sussex are apparently closing in on a new formula for funding the Pauline Haass Library, but the Town Board is not likely to vote on the proposal until after an Aug. 14 advisory referendum on consolidating the two communities. 

Village Trustee Tim Dietrich and Town Supervisor Ryan Lippert have been the lead negotiators in a nearly yearlong effort to craft the funding formula as part of a new long-term agreement between the municipalities. Sussex and Lisbon jointly own the library. 

The existing agreement calls for the communities contributing to operating costs of the library based on their respective tax base, which is about a billion dollars for each community. 

Town Chairman Matt Gehrke has been insisting on a new formula that would require the village to pay about $80,000 to $100,000 more than the town because village residents use the library more than town residents, according to library circulation figures.  

Related articles: 
Jane Stadler on Paying Taxes: "...it is something that you do because you're part of the community.  (11/26/2011)
Lisbon town chair not likely to get his way on Pauline Haass Library funding. (11/22/2011)
Lisbon Town chair advocates paying for library services on the cheap.  (11/22/2011)
The challenges of shared governance and funding.  (9/28/2011)
Consensus building for new joint library agreement.  (7/22/2011)
Sussex, Lisbon:  Local politics and library negotiations.  (5/28/2011)
Negotiation to continue after information-gathering process.  (10/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (10/4/2010)
Differences of opinion of library funding continue.  (9/18/2010)
Leaders of Village of Sussex, Town of Lisbon clash over funding for library. (8/26/2010)
Will annexation resolution interfere with negotiations over joint library agreement?  (8/4/2010)
Proposal to change library funding formula gets cool reception.  (6/7/2010)
Town of Lisbon Chairman proposes new funding formula for library.  (5/31/2010)

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