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Colfax Library receives $5,000 contingency from county after shortfall; county staff explain library funding formula
Summary
Dunn County's executive committee and Committee on Administration approved a $5,000 contingency payment to Colfax Library to cover a shortfall. Staff presented how library funding works under Wisconsin law: a three-year reporting/payout cycle, a 70% minimum reimbursement for out-of-county circulation, and 100% funding for in-county libraries.
The Dunn County executive and administration committees approved a $5,000 contingency allocation to the Colfax Library after staff explained the county's multi-year library funding formula and a shortfall for the 2023 reporting year.
Staff told supervisors that library funding in Wisconsin operates on a multi-year cycle: libraries report usage for a given year (2023 in the material discussed), the county and regional committees process that usage and a payment is made later (in this case, paid in 2025 for the 2023 reporting year). The county pays other counties for Dunn County residents' use of out-of-county library materials under the statewide system.
According to the materials presented, state statute requires a minimum 70% reimbursement for out-of-county circulation; the county historically funds in-county libraries at 100% to support local branches. Staff said the county's CRNT (county review/appropriation body) generally applies 70% funding for out-of-county charges and 100% for the county's four main libraries (Menomonie, Colfax, Boyceville and Sand Creek). That approach produced a total payout of about $799,000 for the 2023 reporting year, paid in January 2025, the presentation said.
Colfax reported a roughly $17,000 shortfall based on the county's calculations for the reporting year. Colfax identified $12,000 of the amount and requested a $5,000 contingency from the county; the Committee on Administration approved the $5,000 and the executive committee noted the action. Staff said the county clerk's apportionment spreads the total across municipalities so that municipalities that host libraries are not double taxed.
Staff explained Dunn County participates in IFLIS (formerly Indianhead Federated Library System), the multi-county library system for western Wisconsin, and that residents frequently borrow from libraries across the system. Staff emphasized the complexity of the accounting and the lag between report year and payout year when answering supervisors' questions.
Supervisor Steen thanked committee members and staff for processing the request; the administration committee had voted unanimously to forward the contingency to the executive committee. Supervisors asked staff whether they could present the library-funding explanation to village boards; staff said they would be willing to make presentations to local municipalities.
