Cass District Library director urges county to resolve ownership, cites $900,000 in deferred maintenance

Barbara Gordon, director of Cass District Library, told the Cass County Board of Commissioners that the district’s five branches served about 63,000 visitors last year and that the system checked out nearly 136,000 items while issuing 900 new library cards.

“This is also my last meeting as director of Cass District Library,” Gordon said in remarks to the board, while summarizing the library’s 2024 annual report and service metrics. Gordon said program attendance increased 501% since the pandemic and that the library’s services were estimated to have saved Cass County residents more than $2,000,000 in 2024 through borrowed materials, public computer and Wi-Fi use, and educational programs.

Gordon highlighted the Edwardsburg Branch building project as the county’s first new public library in decades, calling it a nearly $6,000,000 project funded through a voter-approved millage. She also raised warnings about the condition of the main branch, which she said has never been owned by the district but is a Cass County–owned property for which the district has paid maintenance costs.

“We have stretched every resource to ensure it remains functional, welcoming, and accessible,” Gordon said, and she told commissioners the library’s most recent assessment, delivered by Intersex Studio last month, placed deferred maintenance at almost $900,000. Gordon said the district has invested more than $100,000 in maintenance since an earlier 2021 facilities master plan and that the current need is growing faster than the library can keep up.

Gordon said the library board is conducting a national search for a replacement and has named an interim director, Rhonda Belcher, who is the Edwardsburg branch manager; Gordon said her last day will be June 13 and that Belcher will take over afterward.

On ownership, Gordon told commissioners the district believes it needs full ownership of the main branch to be able to issue bonds for major renovations. She added that the library cannot issue bonds on a building it does not legally own and said trustees are reluctant to buy a building that already carries close to $1 million in deferred maintenance.

Commissioners and Gordon discussed next steps. Gordon suggested the library board and county leaders work together on a long-term plan for the building at 319 Ms 62 and for library services countywide; Chair Jones invited Gordon and library board president Eileen Toney to meet with him to continue the conversation.

No formal vote or policy action occurred at the meeting; commissioners did not take a formal vote to purchase, transfer, or otherwise change the ownership status of the main branch during the session.

Why it matters: The ownership status affects what financing tools the district can use (for example, bond issuance) and who bears the cost of major capital repairs for a building the library says has nearly $900,000 in deferred maintenance. Gordon asked the board to “work collaboratively with the library board” on a plan “not just today but for generations to come.”

The library’s annual report and the Edwardsburg Branch capital project were provided to commissioners as part of Gordon’s presentation; Gordon urged the board to consider the long-term interests of residents when determining the building’s future.