The City of Hancock and Hancock Public Schools will create a District Library Committee for the creation of a new city millage.
At a special meeting on Wednesday, the city council voted to partner with the school district to explore forming a new district library and added Councilors Dean Woodbeck and Whitney Warstler to the committee. The committee will need to work quickly before an August 11th deadline to add a new district library millage to the November ballot.
The Hancock Public Schools Board of Education will meet Thursday evening (July 30th) to vote on similar measures. That meeting will begin at 5 p.m.
The committee anticipates including Woodbeck, Warstler, two members of the HPS Board of Education and two members from the public. The city council asked several questions of City Manager Mary Babcock. She laid out an outline of the short timetable the committee will have to determine ballot language, the appropriate millage rate to support a district library at the school and create a district library agreement.
Babcock also acknowledged district library law falls outside her expertise and shared that several individuals have already either volunteered or been contacted about their services in pursuit of a district library agreement. The process would have the city and school district attorneys meet with Anne Seurnyck, a professional in the area of district library law. Seurnyck represents Foster Swift and serves as a member of the Board of the Library of Michigan Foundation. For Hancock to create a new district library, the Hancock library board agreement would need approval from the State Librarian.
A district library agreement will need to acknowledge the participating municipalities, the City of Hancock and Hancock Public Schools, and whether a library board will require individuals to be elected to the role or appointed. The Portage Lake District Library’s members are appointed by the Houghton City Council and Portage Township. A library’s board of trustees oversees the director who focuses on day-to-day operations of the library. An appointed library board can include between five and eight members, and a board requiring election will have seven members. The agreement will also acknowledge the millage amount added to the city’s property tax. The committee will also discuss what procedure the library board will use for amendments to the agreement. That item will need approval from the city and board of education.
The six-member committee will need to complete all of that work by August 11th at 4 p.m. and submit ballot language for the November 3rd election to the Houghton County Clerk’s office.
