Township Board & Library Board Meet Monday Over Fees
IRONWOOD, MI - Monday, March 10, 2008 - The Ironwood Township Board of Supervisors held a joint special meeting with the Carnegie Library Board Monday. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the continuation of the current fees that the Charter Township pays to the library for services.
Library Board member Margaret Rayner gave a brief history of the fees and the services rendered. The fee, that is equivalent to 3/10 of a mil, has been in effect for quite a long time. So long, in fact, no one could remember the exact source of the fee. Bruce Noren, a member of the Library board, inquired if a millage for the fee had been approved by the voters. No one was sure if, in fact, the millage had been passed by the township voters.
The board of supervisors will look into the issue and put the matter before the voters in time for the next election. Members of the board were concerned that the taxpayers might be confused in this matter, thinking that they were approving an additional millage, which, of course, would not be the case. The library fees are handled as a line item and the millage is the method of funding the line item. If the millage goes before the voters and is approved, no additional taxes would be incurred.
The members of the township board are looking to control their overall costs, and indicated that it would cost township residents quite a bit less if they received library services from Bessemer. The current fee structure is approximately $15,000. This is in addition to the penal fees given to the library on the Township's behalf.
Library representatives express similar concerns to those of the Township for controlling costs.
Carnegie Librarian Elaine Erickson was not present for the meeting.
Lou Bonagura