Assembly candidate releases statement on Hudson library issue

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Diane Odeen, the Democratic candidate for the 30th Assembly District, released a statement Wednesday, Sept. 5, about funding for the Hudson Area Joint Library.

The Hudson Common Council voted to allow St. Croix County levies to increase to cover the deficit in funding for the library, said Odeen, a Hudson lawyer who resides in River Falls.

"This deficit was caused by Hudson area leadership coming up with a short-term solution without properly examining the long-term effects,” said Odeen. “They thought that if local municipalities joined together and the city of Hudson purchased the building, they would have a self-sustaining library. They didn’t anticipate the increased costs and enormous burden on the taxpayer.”

For the last decade, the Hudson library has received too little in local revenue to be exempt from the county levy, she said. As a result, property owners in the four participating municipalities will see their library taxes go up next year.

“City of Hudson taxpayers could see their taxes almost double just to pay for this oversight," Odeen said. "There is no question that the Hudson area deserves a library that efficiently provides quality services to our communities. The Hudson area also deserves leaders that will listen to the voters and make decisions based on long-term goals, and not get distracted by short-term solutions that seem to be a good idea at the time.”

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