Tax increase to fund library expenses rejected
MAHOMET -- The majority of Mahomet residents this week voted down a 5-cent tax increase for the Mahomet Public Library District.
"Obviously, we're disappointed," said Lynn Schmit, Mahomet library director. "I know this was a difficult time to ask for money, but when is a good time? I think it's shortsighted, because the community voted to build this larger building (a few years ago). I don't know why they expect us to operate a larger building (with less money)."
There never has been an operating tax increase for the library, and according to the referendum fact sheet, the library's operating rate has decreased by 6.5 cents since 1997.
The new building, located off of U.S. 150, opened last July.
The library's finance committee will meet April 18 to discuss its options and make recommendations to the library board.
Library officials said before the election that if the ballot question fails, operating expenses would be reduced by closing on Sundays; cutting the budget for books, DVDs and other materials; raising overdue fines; and reducing scheduled maintenance of the building and grounds.
The library, according to a fact sheet, cannot use the reserves instead of increasing the operating tax, because the projected deficit spending will drain the reserves.
The projected average annual deficit over the next six years is $100,000.
"This nickel was not to do anything new and special," Schmit said. "This nickel was just to pay the bills."
I think what's shortsighted is to plan for a building without taking utilities or insurance into account. This was poor planning all the way around. Because of this brand new shiny building, service from Champaign "Public" Library was denied. All that money could have been used to expand the former building or, heaven forbid, materials.
It wasn't just poor planning, it was grossly arrogant planning. The library administration knew before the building was built that the community had rejected an operating fund tax increase. The new building was touted as less expensive to operate, since the open expanses would not need as many people to watch things. Instead, we wind up with the asphalting of some of the best farmland in the world to create a palace two miles away from the population center, that "unexpectedly" costs more to operate than the building that served the community quite well. Rather than blame the community that for the third time has voted down an operating fund increase, the library administration should conduct a thorough self-examination of its actions during the initial building campaign that some in the community consider disingenuous and sneaky, understanding that especially in a small town, people's memories are quite good.
The residents of Mahomet don't want to pay for a library? Shocking, really! I suppose that it isn't that surprising, they don't want to pay to use the Champaign Public Library either. At least they are consistent in their disregard for funding public libraries.
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/politics-and-government/2010-09-01/cham...
Oh, believe me Betty Crocker, Mahomet residents pay for the library. It's just that our priorities are messed up. We budget $277,282 for salaries and $56,692 for books, so since residents have to get on Route 150 anyway, they just try to go to a library that has what they want to read. We bad.
"If they don't want to lend out books (which is what libraries do), they should leave the Lincoln Trails." Restated to stay on topic: If they don't fund their library (which is what tax payers do) they should leave the Lincoln Trail system. Whether you are taking books out of my hands is irrelevant, the Mahomet library isn't putting enough in the hands of their own members. You get what you pay for, and this is an excellent example. You've got a nice new building, that is what you were willing to pay for. It doesn't have enough materials in it to serve the community but that isn't what the taxpayers of Mahomet value.
Agreed. I really don't understand this unmitigated sense of entitlement some residents of Mahomet and Savoy have. They refused to adequately fund their own libraries because they thought they could mooch off of CPL indefinitely. When the CPL took the correct action of ending the abuse of the Lincoln Trail system, they complained because they, like the rest of us, now have to pay for services they consume. The blatant sense of entitlement is just shocking.
Mahomet is just following in the footsteps of the rest of the county when it come to blatant sense of entitlement. Don't want to work, no problem the gov will give you a check. A place to live, section 8 to the rescue (even though you have a nice new car in the drive). Need a cell phone, no problem the gov has a free program for that. Oh and no paycheck means no food, yep gov has you covered on that too. Money to hit the clubs, priceless!
The record is clear that voters in these districts consistently vote to underfund their own libraries while at the same time abusing the Lincoln Trail system by using CPL as their de facto home library. The aggrieved sense of entitlement by some of them is similarly well documented. Can you point to any credible evidence to support your claims? (And Limbaugh and Glenn Beck don't count as credible sources.)
I have not seen any evidence to support your implication that those services are just scams. Can you provide any?
Birdfarmer is right. Voters rejected the first attempt to pass a tax increase for the whole package. As a result the board split the increase into two parts, one for the building and one for the operating expenses, thinking if voters passed one they would have no choice but to pass the other at a later date. This is exactly what happened when the building tax increase was passed but the operating portion was turned down. They had the money for the building, and up it went in short order.
Now Lynn Schmit is calling voters short-sighted when the board's plan backfired and the operating expense was voted down for the third time in a row. Isn't it a wee bit more short-sighted to construct a new library without the money to pay people to staff it or maintain it?
Never fear, though. The board will put it the next ballot, and again and again until they finally get their way.
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