Library funding issue gets state attention

State lawmakers said Wednesday they would examine a library funding formula that is costing Shawano County $140,000 a year because of residents using out-of-county libraries.

Addressing the Shawano County Board on the issue were state Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay; Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Bonduel; and Rep. Jeffrey Mursau, R-Crivitz.

All three lawmakers agreed to assist Shawano County in pursuing changes to a library funding formula that county officials regard as unfair.

The legislators also cautioned county officials that changing the formula could take a year or longer and that Shawano County would have to continue reimbursing neighboring libraries in the meantime.

“That’s just the way the system is,” Tauchen said, “and it’s going to take some time to get it figured out.”

County officials began voicing concerns earlier this year when they received bills totaling $140,000 from neighboring library systems. The bills resulted from Shawano County residents crossing over to patronize public libraries in Pulaski, Marion, Clintonville and elsewhere.

State law allows those library systems to bill Shawano County for the crossover usage, although this was the first time that anyone can remember it happening.

Shawano County’s library system could likewise bill neighboring counties, but few surrounding residents cross over to patronize libraries in Shawano County.

County officials believe the system is unfair because it drains resources from Shawano County and because it represents a form of double taxation for local residents who fund local libraries and must also pay the $140,000 a year to surrounding libraries.

“It is a big conundrum,” County Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller told the state lawmakers.

In a separate action Wednesday, County Board members approved a resolution urging state legislators to consider changing the formula so that counties would bill individual crossover library patrons rather than the counties where they live. But some acknowledged that the state might be able to come up with a better arrangement.

Supervisor Deb Noffke said she does not want to change the perception that libraries are educational resources open to all Wisconsin residents.

“Everybody is paying for library services,” she said. “We should encourage people to use the libraries.”

The Shawano City-County Library network, funded jointly by the city of Shawano and the county, operates libraries in Shawano, Bonduel, Birnamwood, Mattoon, Tigerton and Wittenberg.

State lawmakers said local officials could resolve the crossover problem by restructuring so that the county takes over all libraries and all funding responsibility. Under that scenario, the state formula would prohibit neighboring library systems from billing Shawano County for crossover borrowing.

County officials voiced reluctance about pursuing such a restructuring.

Tauchen said the funding issue affects other areas of the state, too, with 59 counties in total paying a combined estimated $5 million to nearby library systems. He said it would probably take at least a year for state government to analyze the issue and identify alternatives.

Cowles and Mursau both agreed that the issue warrants further consideration.

“There’s a lot of questions to be answered,” Mursau said. “I don’t think we have an answer right here.”