1/21/2009 10:50:00 AM Council weighs library
again at Jan. 28 meeting
Ryan Dostalek ConnectFitchburg.com
The next chapter in Fitchburg's six-year odyssey to construct a library occurs at 5 p.m., Jan. 22, when the Library Board meets to appoint a new member.
The board will recommend a member to the mayor. The candidates are Tony McGrath, Nancy Arnold, Carole Ruizde-Chavez, Mary Petersen and Ellsworth Brown.
The board will also prepare for a Jan. 28 meeting with the City Council, which will meet with the board in a working session. The meeting is an attempt to resolve the uncertainty following 2008 referendums, when voters approved $10 million to construct a library but turned down a measure that would increase property taxes by nearly $1 million to operate it.
Interim librarian Debra Johnson has been providing council members with background information, including Dane County library standards and taxes residents pay to the county for library service.
Her figures show residents will pay nearly $1 million to the country for library services by 2016.
Johnson has also prepared a report that could markedly reduce operating costs, perhaps by 20 percent or more, as the library is phased in over three years, which is permitted under county standards. The final report will not be released until the impact on households is calculated.
Observers say the council appears willling to approve construction if operating costs can be reduced.
