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)