MECHANICSBURG - On Monday, the Mechanicsburg Board of Education passed a resolution to place an operating levy on the May ballot for the Mechanicsburg Public Library.
Because the library functions under the taxing authority of the Board of Education for Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools, the levy resolution passed by the library board had to be presented to the school board.
The school board on Monday adopted a resolution in support of a 1-mill, five-year operating levy that will collect $80,841 a year, according to Champaign County Auditor Karen Bailey.
Shirley Keiser, library board president, previously stated that state cutbacks in financial support for libraries had left the Mechanicsburg library with an operating deficit of nearly $40,000 in 2009, even after reductions in operating hours, staff, programs and services put in place by the board this fall. The projected deficit for 2010, Keiser said, is $60,000.
State support of the library has dropped from $311,660 in 2006 to approximately $251,636 in 2009, Keiser said. State revenue in 2010 will drop dramatically again with the village library expecting to receive approximately $189,750, she said.
The library board voted in December to seek a new operating levy for financial support. Currently, the library does not have a levy, but previously attempted to pass a 1.5-mill, five-year levy that would have generated over $100,000 a year if it had passed. It failed in November 2007, with a vote of 588-495.
In other action, the board:
•Announced that Cynthia Henry, elementary teacher, is the next recipient of the Golden Tomahawk award. Due to the weather, the award was not presented Monday, but will be at the next board meeting.
•Accepted seven or eight bids for the concession stand project, which will be built in the area of the former Booster stand. Construction is set to begin in June.
•Awarded various supplemental contracts, including one-year contracts for Ash Moore as cross country coach and Chris Kosiorek as head football coach.
Beth Deere can be reached at bdeere@urbanacitizen.com
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