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Are Wider Units Wiser?

Are Wider Units Wiser?. Presentation by Thomas J. Hennen Jr. Wisconsin Library Association Annual Meeting October 30, 2003. WISER?. It depends on the configuration District Legislation may matter More research needs to be done! What road to take?. Organizational Types.

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Are Wider Units Wiser?

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  1. Are Wider Units Wiser? Presentation by Thomas J. Hennen Jr. Wisconsin Library Association Annual Meeting October 30, 2003

  2. WISER? • It depends on the configuration • District Legislation may matter • More research needs to be done! • What road to take? Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  3. Organizational Types • What form delivers the best service? • How should we study the question? Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  4. Population Served Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  5. Spending per Capita by Type Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  6. National Wider Units Scorecard • Regional variations • Population Category Variations • State by state Variations • NW Ordinance • County Legislature VS County Commission • Kansas City Consensus Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  7. Multi-Jurisdictional, Special, Municipal Libraries by Region Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  8. Multi-jurisdictional, Special, and Municipal by Population Category Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  9. State Variations • Illinois has most districts by number, Kentucky by percentage • Maryland is 100% County libraries • Iowa is nearly all municipal Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  10. New York By Type Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  11. Illinois By Type Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  12. Cook County, Illinois by Type Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  13. Kentucky by Type Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  14. Wisconsin by Type Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  15. Wisconsin Perspective • New England model • Consolidated county a misnomer? • Joint Libraries are not “Districts” Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  16. Consolidated a Misnomer? • Municipality can exempt from levy for consolidated library • High tax base community can prevail Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  17. Wisconsin Wider Units Scorecard • Joint Libraries and Consolidated Counties: • Uniform levy rate • Lower per capita funding • Lower level of resident use • Tend not to meet state standards Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  18. Wider Unit Issues • Building owned by municipality or county? • Location of buildings? • Personnel cost differences if consolidating Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  19. Wider Unit Benefits • Spread administrative Costs • Equalize tax rates (except in some joint libraries in the state) • Long range planning Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  20. Non-Resident Issues • No Crossover within county, but… • Consolidated residents go elsewhere • The 70% requirement in Act 150 does not apply to “independent” libraries Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  21. Joint Libraries • 25 libraries, 65 municipalities • $25 per capita VS $33 for municipal • Tax rate of $0.39 VS $0.78 municipal • Per Capita Tax Base $64,00 VS $43,000 municipal • Vague on disposition of assets on dissolution Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  22. County Libraries • 8 of 72 Wisconsin Counties • $22 per capita VS $33 municipal • $0.44 per $1,000 VS $0.78 • $51,000 tax base per capita VS $43,000 • Building ownership and maintenance varies Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  23. District Library Legislation • LRB-0160/2: • Elected 9 member board • Taxing Authority • Municipal lines only • Referendum or 2/3 vote of municipalities • Contiguous, 5 years old, 4,000 population Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  24. Metropolitan Service District • Assembly Bill 510 • Urbanized area only • Two or more municipalities • AND two or more SERVICES Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  25. Areas Considering Districts • Sheboygan County • Ozaukee County • Racine County • Rock County • Greenfield-Greendale • Menomonie Area Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  26. What to Consider • Learn about customers • Learn about impacts • Learn about stakeholders • Remember that solving non-resident borrowing problems just buys you NEW problems! Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  27. Demographic • U.S. Census Bureau – American FactFinder • Public Library Geographic Database (PLGDB). Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  28. Library Data • Federal State Cooperative System • Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning • HAPLR-Index.com Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  29. Public Library Geographic Database National Public Library Geographic Database accessible over the Internet www.geolib.org Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  30. Public Library Geographic Database • www.geolib.org Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  31. Mapping Districts Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  32. Considering a District? • Remember that: • Administrative costs matter • 19th Century Government structures & 21st Century traffic patterns • Wider property tax base • Each situation unique Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

  33. Conclusion • Wider units MAY be wiser • It depends on configuration and planning • More research is needed • “Two roads diverged…” Thomas J. Hennen Jr. WLA 2003

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