Friends of the Library to Put Up $25,000 Cost of Entire November Election
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Friends of Library Will Pay for November Election - Saves Taxpayers $25,000
Old books may help restore services to users of the Bay County Library System and also save money of city taxpayers.
The annual Book Sale by the Friends of the Bay County Library System raises thousands of dollars that is recycled back to the system.
Many of the books in this year's sale came from private donations since the reduced number of librarians haven't had time to cull the collections of out-dated volumes as in past years.
The Friends have not been able to spend the money they raise on the annual book sale because, with cutbacks forced by millage vote defeats in 2006, the programs they normally support don't exist.
These programs include:
New book purchases for adult discussion groups, children and teens;
Promotions, prizes and entertainment for book weeks;
Children's summer reading programs;
Family film nights; Book review and "Branching Out" library newsletters;
Summer reading programs;
Puppet theatre outreach to elementary schools; Receptions for special occasions; and
Librarian training and conference fund.
Therefore, the Friends' book sale money is available to pay to Bay County for the cost of the election.
The law provides that since the library millage is a county issue, requiring votes in every township and city, the county has to pay for the full cost of the election even in the city. Because the Friends of the Library will pay that cost, city taxpayers won't have to bear the cost of running the mayoral election pitting Charles Brunner and Mike Wooley and Lori Bollman and Jim Flannery in the 4th Ward commission race.
The folks who work so hard every year to raise the funds to supplement library programs are hopeful that voters will this time support the request for a reduced library millage, down from 1.2 mills defeated twice in 2006 to a 1 mill request for November.
"One main problem we face is every time we answer an objection, the negative voters come up with another reason to vote no," said John VanLooy, president of the Friends group. "Many of them won't even have to pay for any renewal of the library millage.
Mr. VanLooy explained why the Friends think it is vital that the millage election be in November instead of waiting until February, as some critics of the plan support.
"If the millage is passed in November, the tax would be levied in January," he said. "If we wait until February and the millage is passed the millage would not be levied until January 2009. The earlier approval will allow us to spend the money made on this year's book sale to help restore the programs that have been cut."
The group took in about $23,500 at the book sale this year. After expenses, a substantial amount will be left to be used on library programs, he said.
The Friends group is receiving high support from the community, Mr. VanLooy noted, indicated by a recent fund-raising letter that brought in about $7,000. After the group's budget is met, a good share of these funds go directly to library programs in addition to the money brought in from the book sale, he said.
Mr. VanLooy, a retired English teacher from Garber High School, noted that people below the poverty line only have to pay 40 percent of the tax, senior citizens may get a total exemption of property taxes and tax credits are available to some families even if they don't pay taxes.
Michigan tax law provides a direct tax rebate of 60 percent of property taxes paid in excess of 3.5 percent of the taxpayer's income up to a limit of $1,200. "It certainly means that anyone who is truly financially strapped will only pay 40 percent of any additional tax," said Mr. VanLooy. "Anyone who does not qualify would be hard pressed, I would think, to claim that paying 100 percent of this tax would bankrupt them and is a legitimate reason for voting 'no'."
"Many of these tax abatement programs are not well known but they could be helpful to people who feel they cannot afford the reduced renewal," he said.
The Bay County Commission recently voted 8-1 to put a library millage question on the November General Election ballot. The lone no vote was from Commissioner Eugene Gwizdala, apparently lodging a protest about a proposed change in the use of the South End Branch Library.
Since the new Wirt main branch library is so close (about a mile and a quarter) to the South End Branch, the Library Board plans to use the small South End Branch as a headquarters for the Bookmobile. "If at a later time the full millage of 1.2 mills was to be replaced, it might be possible to reopen the Southside Branch," said Mr. VanLooy.
Every year hundreds of old book buyers, your correspondent included, come out of the Hampton Square Mall toting bags and boxes of books purchased for a buck each or less.
These books are out of date periodicals or superseded titles displaced by newer editions or have been judged not relevant enough to command shelf space any longer.
But for home libraries these books are a godsend, especially if they are reference works with information not readily available, hard-to-find non-fiction titles or readable popular fiction. Therefore, the annual book sale is a popular event, looked forward to by readers from bibliophiles like yours truly to folks just looking for a bargain "beach read."###
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