The town and village of Lena will share ownership of the Lena Public Library, effective Sept. 1, as the result of a joint agreement adopted at the local, county and state levels.
On Thursday, the Oconto County Board approved a joint library agreement, the final step in a process that included approval by town and village leaders and the state Department of Public Instruction.
“This is going to be a wonderful thing for the community,” Lena Town Chairman Kevin Jagiello said.
With the town adding its financial resources, the library can meet the community’s needs better, he said.
“More books, more computers, more of whatever they need to serve the people,” Jagiello said.
The library at 200 E. Main St. is owned and operated by the village of Lena, but the town is already working with the library to host programs, such as quilting, and town residents frequent the library often.
“Quite frankly, the town of Lena was actually using the library more than the village of Lena,” Jagiello said.
The agreement has been in the works for over a year, and Jagiello said both municipalities will benefit.
Library Director Amy Peterson told the County Board the arrangement will be a win for all involved.
“This is a good opportunity for the town of Lena, the village of Lena and especially for the library,” she said.
Peterson said the agreement also benefits other libraries in the county, because additional resources can be spent on materials for Lena that then can be used by patrons at other libraries.
In addition, once the joint agreement takes effect, Brown County can no longer bill Oconto County for library services associated with town of Lena residents. When a municipality contracts with a library system, the municipality’s resources support that individual library, and other fees are waived.
“We’re keeping our money local, versus sending it to Green Bay,” Jagiello said.
Brown County bills Oconto County residents for check-outs that Oconto County library users make at the Brown County Library. This expense is included on the county portion of the property tax bill.
Lena’s joint agreement calls for the development of an eight-member joint library board composed of town and village representatives. The board will have control over employment issues and will develop a budget and plan of service.
The town and village will contribute equal amounts for library operations. The annual appropriation is not to be less than the average of the previous three years, with $22,500 as the initial average amount. The town will use taxpayer money for its share.
All physical assets and property eventually will be owned jointly by the two municipalities.
The agreement will expire on Dec. 31, 2016, and will be subject to renewal as of Jan. 1 of each subsequent year.
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