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Wellsville agrees to pay $25 per household to Hiram Library; council to sign interlocal agreement
Summary
After hearing library director Emily Coltrane outline proposed fee changes, the council agreed to pay $25 per sewer hookup (billed to the city) to Hiram Library to preserve resident access; staff to finalize an interlocal agreement with an exit clause.
Emily Coltrane, representing Hiram Library, told the council Feb. 5 that the library proposes charging Wellsville City a per-household fee tied to sewer hookups. Coltrane said the library's proposal is to be billed per sewer hookup (rather than per active library card) and that Hiram had offered a stepped approach: begin at $25 per household with a $1 per-year increase until the fee reaches $30, then $0.50 per year thereafter. Coltrane said the change would bring the city's annual payment to about $28,500 under the stepped plan (the library's initial proposal was $30 per household, about $35,000).
Why it matters: Wellsville currently pays about $20,152 for 458 active cards (the library's count of active users). Council members discussed alternatives, including billing individual residents for $75 annual cards, targeted subsidies for residents who cannot afford the fee, or keeping the current city payment. Coltrane told the council that billing by sewer hookup removes the manual four-month verification process the library currently performs to confirm active city residents and saves library staff time.
Council action and key terms: Councilmember (name not recorded in the transcript) moved that Wellsville proceed with the $25 per sewer hookup fee, to be paid out of the city's general fund, and to sign an interlocal agreement with Hiram Library. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Council members expressed a desire to avoid a long-term lock-in; Coltrane and staff said the interlocal/resolution language allows for termination with notice (staff cited approximately a 30-day notice provision). The council also asked that the draft interlocal be returned for review; staff said the library's invoice cycle typically bills in April for the coming fiscal year and that the new billing would align to the city's billing cycle.
Ending: Staff will negotiate and present an interlocal agreement reflecting the $25 per-household fee (with the stepped increases described) and the termination provisions to the council for final review and signature.
