Hudson City Council Mulls Options to Fund Library

Is another referendum in our future?

At a special meeting of the Hudson Common Council on Monday, March 19, in front of a crowd of nearly 100 community members at , City Finance Officer Neil Soltis explained four options for funding the , two of which could bring referendums to city residents.

The reason for the funding changes stems from a decision at the county level in the threshold a municipality must meet in order to be exempt from the county library levy. The county raised the bar from 70 perent funding in 2009, to 85 percent funding in 2010, to 100 percent funding in 2011. Because of an error on the annual library report, the tax was not levied on city residents last year.*

Over 90-plus minutes at Mondy night's meeting, Soltis explained in great detail and fielded council questions about how the library is now funded, how revenues have changed over the past five years, effects of the county library levy and its exemptions, and impacts of four options the city has fund the library going forward.

Among Soltis' four options are two scenarios in which the library continues under the joint library structure with partner municipalities , and . In the other two scenarios, the joint library structure disbands and the library would revert to city control as a municipal library. Reverting to a municipal library has been recommended by the Hudson Area Joint Library Steering Committee.

Under each of those two scenarios are two sub-options: no change to current local funding and an increase in local funding in order to exempt the city from the county library levy.

Under the options in which the city increases its funding to become exempt from the county library levy, a referendum may be needed to gain the revenue because of state-imposed limits on raising local tax levies.

OPTION 1A

Continue as joint library with no change in current city funding

• City of Hudson would pay $278,910 from the city budget.
• City property owners would be subject to the county library levy for an additional $242,392 (most of which would go to support other libraries in the county).
• Each of the four partner municipalities would be responsible for the operation and maintenance of library capital.
• Library funding would total $656,519.

OPTION 1B

Continue as joint library with increase in municipal funding 

• City of Hudson would pay $438,678 from the city budget.
• The increase in funding would be subject to levy limits and would require a referendum or deep cuts to other other city services.
• City property owners would be exempt from paying a county library levy to support other libraries in the county.
• Each of the four partner municipalities would be responsible for the operation and maintenance of library capital.
• Library funding would total $1,072,283 (assuming the partner municipalities also raise funds to be exempt from county library levy).

OPTION 2A

Revert to municipal library with no change in current city funding

• City of Hudson would pay $278,910 from city budget.
• City property owners would be subject to the county library levy for an additional $332,222 (most of which would go to support other libraries in the county).
• Former partner municipalities would help fund the library through the county library levy.
• The City of Hudson would be solely responsible for the operation and maintenance of library capital.
• Library funding would total $722,013.

OPTION 2B

Revert to municipal library with increase in city funding 

• City of Hudson would pay $611,132 from the city budget.
• The increase in funding would be subject to levy limits and would require a referendum or deep cuts to other other city services.
• City property owners would be exempt from the county library levy.
• Former partner municipalities would help fund the library through the county library levy.
• The county library levy would provide $443,103 in funding for the municipal library.
• The City of Hudson would be solely responsible for the operation and maintenance of library capital.
• Library funding would total $1,054,235.

Monday's meeting was largely an informational meeting for the council members to lay out the numbers and begin to understand the entire issue before weighing and choosing options.

Though the council took no action at the meeting, they did reach a consensus that the issue should be handled separately from the city's routine business at regular council meetings. When confronted by members of the community during the meeting, Hudson Mayor Alan Burchill promised plenty of transparency with open meetings and public hearings in the coming weeks. 

For now, Burchill plans to consult the partner municipalities to gauge which way they are leaning before scheduling another city meeting on the topic.

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* An earlier version of this post said, "Through an oversight at the county level, the tax was not levied on city residents last year."