North Hudson board hears about library funding woes

• George Klein, left, presents plaque to outgoing Village Board Trustee Jim Thomas

North Hudson Village Board President George Klein, left, presented a plaque to outgoing Village Board Trustee Jim Thomas. Thomas had been a member of the board for six years, but chose not to rerun for the post this spring. Photo by Doug Stohlberg

Talk about it

The village of North Hudson Board meeting Tuesday, March 27, was dominated by information regarding library funding and the recent revelation that the municipal partners haven’t funded the library at the level required by current law.

City of Hudson Finance Officer Neil Soltis presented the funding option scenarios and other information to the board. The joint library is funded by four municipalities including the city of Hudson, village of North Hudson, town of Hudson and town of St. Joseph.

The four municipalities were made exempt from the county library tax when they formed the joint library in 2002. But to be exempt from the tax, they had to certify that they were funding the library to at least the county level — none of the four are currently at the level. It also means the four local municipalities are not funding the joint library to the level paid by the residents of other municipalities in the county.

The certification process was supposed to have taken place annually, but didn’t. In the interim, the partner municipalities’ library support has fallen behind the county library levy.

Soltis reviewed the same funding scenarios presented earlier to the Hudson City Council. Among the presentation were scenarios involving remaining a joint library; other involving going back to being a municipal library.

The presentation to the board was for information only at this time, but action will have to be taken later this year. Currently all four municipalities are discussing the issue and how to approach the situation.

Village President George Klein said it was an issue that surprised all the municipalities.

“We are no longer in compliance, but didn’t know it,” Klein said.

North Hudson resident and former library board president Jim O’Connor addressed the board and asked that they consider a scenario that would increase support of the library.

Other action

The March 27 board meeting was held a week earlier than usual because of the spring election scheduled Tuesday, April 3. The village’s reorganization meeting is scheduled Tuesday, April 17, at 5 p.m.