District Library approves Young to continue as auditor

At the Sept. 11 regular meeting of the Belleville Area District Library Board, Alan C. Young & Associates, P.C., was approved to continue as auditor for financial audits for the next three audit years.
Four auditors were invited to bid and the library got two bids: from Young and from Stevens Kirinovic & Tucker. Young was low bidder.
For year one (2018), Young bid $7,425 and SK&T bid $7,900; for year two (2019), Young bid $7,425 and SK&T $8,200; for year three (2020), Young bid $7,800 and SK&T $8,600.
Recent similar auditor experience for Young was Belleville Area District Library, Detroit Public Library, and cities of Allen Park, Belleville, and Wayne.
SK&T had similar experience with Chelsea District Library, Clarkston Independence District Library, Cromaine District Library, and cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
Library millages
The library board also passed resolutions authorizing millages on taxable property for the December 2018 tax bill:
• Operational millage of 0.7 mill, reduced by the Headlee Amendment, to 0.6930. Approved by voters on Nov. 2, 2010. Total tax on properties in Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter is $1,017,273;
• Operational millage of 0.75 mill, reduced by Headlee to 0.7425. Approved by voters on Nov. 8, 2016. Total tax for properties in Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter is $1,089,936; and
• A levy of 0.64 mill for bond payments for the $14 million borrowed to build the new library. This millage is not subject to Headlee. Total tax for Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter is $939,473.
In other business at the hour-long regular meeting Sept. 11, the board:
• Held a moment of silence in memory of the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. At the end of the meeting several board members related stories on the impact of the 9/11 attacks on their families;
• Approved accounts payable, including $114,102.33 to O’Neal Construction for work on the library and $33,324.63 to Daniels and Zermack LLC, for design services for the new library;
• Heard Building Committee Chairman Joy Cichewicz report on all the work being done to cut back costs of construction to stay in the budget. Architect Dan Whisler said the city of Belleville has approved everything in the drawings, except for some questions on the oval staircase, and a city building permit should be forthcoming;
• Learned Whisler, Library Director Mary Jo Suchy, and their attorney met with Sumpter Township officials, architect, and attorney on the library facility planned for the hexagon building across from township hall. The timetable for this building, which had a proposed fall opening date, will not be this fall. They need a more detailed breakdown of who’s doing what;
• Heard board chairman Peters report that the art committee’s ad hoc fund development committee is working to get sizable donations for the new library. She said there are some generous people in this community and they could make a substantial dent in the cost overruns. “We are formulating an event to bring people together to see where their donations might go,” she said. “I want the public to know we are working hard and Joy is working on things that won’t even be noticed by the public and will have minimum negative impact on our project”;
• Heard Library Director Mary Jo Suchy announce that Van Buren Township author Beverly Jenkins has been named the winner of the 2018 Michigan Author Award. It will be presented by the Michigan Library Association at its award luncheon during the MLA 2018 Annual Conference in Novi on Oct. 19. Suchy said Jenkins has done many programs for the local library. Board president Sharon Peters said she went to college with Jenkins and she moved to this area in part because of Jenkins. “She really, really is a gem, a jewel to our community,” Peters said;
• Heard Suchy report the relocation of the water line has resulted in some issues with the library’s vintage toilets in the old section of the building. Dean Kokkales from O’Neal Construction made some adjustments to the valves, but he may need to call in a plumber if the low flush problems persist. He also is in touch with an electrician to install additional lighting on the building near the temporary parking lot, the alley, and the sidewalk by Charles Street;
• Learned Suchy recently accepted a $10,000 donation for naming rights to one of the large group study rooms in the new library. The room will be named in honor of Christine Consales; and
• Was advised that the library began its soft rollout of the free Hoopla program in the middle of August. Even with no advertising, patrons checked out 41 items in a two-week period. With Hoopla, library cardholders can check out digital movies, TV, music albums, eAudiobooks, eBooks, and comics /graphic novels from their computers, tablets or Smartphones without waiting, at any time.