Library Board considers millage renewal

Members of the Belleville Area District Library Board discussed the best way to go about renewing the 0.7 mill that was approved by voters in 2010 and is expiring with the Winter 2021 tax bill.
The discussion was held during the board’s regular meeting on May 11 via zoom.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy said that she and board chairperson Sharon Peters had a phone consultation with the library’s bond/millage attorney, Christopher Iamarino from Thrun Law Firm, to discuss options.
Director Suchy said Option #1 would be a run a special election in November to renew the millage. The library would have to pay all or a portion of the fees that would be incurred to hold this election, since 2021 is not a general election year.
She said Option #2 would be to place the question on the August Primary or November General Election in 2022. This could no longer be called a renewal on the ballot language, but an increase. However, a statement can be included in the ballot language that “this renews a millage that expired in 2021.”
Suchy also said there are other considerations: This millage has been rolled back by the Headlee Amendment and will be 0.6864 on this year’s tax levy. The renewal could potentially reset this millage back to 0.7. This would involve additional ballot language. In order to keep ballot language to a minimum, the library could opt to continue to accept the rollback.
Suchy said a portion of the current millage is captured by the city of Belleville’s DDA and Van Buren Township’s DDA and LDFA, but the Michigan law regarding tax captures has changed. As a default, the millage renewal will not be captured.
She said with COVID and the partial openings, there are sure to be more voters in 2022.
Chairperson Peters said the question could go on the primary ballot and if not successful they could turn around and do it in the general election.
Joy Cichewicz questioned whether they could do it twice like that and Peters said the lawyer told them they could do it twice.
“We have to think about our operating millage,” said Treasurer Tanya Stoudemire. “It makes more sense to wait until 2022.” She suggested the finance committee study this and the board look at the issue again at its June 15 meeting.
“We do have to make a decision on this to stay in the game,” Peters said.
Director Suchy said the June meeting will also be the time of the budget hearing.
“I think we are seeing the beginning of the end of COVID,” Suchy said. She said she was hopeful the board could meet in person in June.
Suchy said about 80% of the staff have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The staff has a choice on this, she said. Peters pointed out, “You’ve reached herd immunity.”
Air quality project
In a building committee report, Suchy said they reviewed the amount of money left in the capital fund and found they are still in a pretty-good stead. She said there are four different projects going forward to improve air quality.
She said there is humidification, bipolar ionization, and improvements to the HVAC systems.
“It’s open-heart surgery,” she said, noting they have to open the ceiling and the roof and roofing. Cost is $326,416.
“It’s a large amount of money to spend in updating a brand-new building,” said chairperson Peters. “A lot of the technology didn’t exit or wasn’t understood when we were planning the building.”
She said they are in a good position for putting up a state-of-art building with improved air quality.
Peters said it is good to be working on air quality while the library is still on a slow-down. Treasurer Stoudemire said this will make the community feel safer when they come to the library.
Suchy said small projects are very much on the building committee’s radar, including hanging the loaned oil painting, and installing the bench in Sumpter Township. She said a lot of things are being held up by the supply chain.
John Juriga said he called Congresswoman Debbie Dingell’s office earlier that day and told them he’d like to get help for putting five electrical chargers in the far end of the library parking lot.
“She loves the library and she’ll see what she can do,” Juriga reported.
In other business at the one-hour-and-12-minute May 11 meeting, the board:
• Heard Peter report on the marketing committee meeting and said new blood has brought new ideas. She said they have been focusing on the grand opening and they will wait for the good weather months next year for the grand opening and the donor reception before the grand opening “after COVID is behind us”;
• Heard Linda Priest say she was talking to people at the plant swap and that should remind them of what a library is. “We reach out to the community,” she said. “We are like race horses in the stable. We want to be let out, wanting to do more.” Suchy said they plan to have a craft booth in the children’s zone at Lake Fest;
• Heard Suchy report the Belleville Area Council for the Arts is happy that the library will be displaying winners of last year’s art contest. It will be the library’s first rotating display; and
• Heard Peters invite everyone to go to the second floor of the library and look out at the vegetative roof. She said it is continually changing.