Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library And Community Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and library directors urge Barron County to maintain library reimbursements and restore fair funding
Summary
Library directors, literacy‑program leaders and fair managers told the Barron County board that small cuts to county support would disproportionately impact vulnerable residents, tutoring services and fair operations; speakers urged restoring planned appropriations ahead of the Nov. 4 budget vote.
A string of public‑comment speakers at the Oct. 21 Barron County Board meeting urged supervisors to maintain or restore funding for the county’s public libraries and the Barron County Fair.
Rachel Thomas, director of the Rice Lake Public Library, told the board that the county’s plan to increase library reimbursements slowly each year has an outsized effect on services for rural patrons. She said the county’s proposed 1% increase to the reimbursement rate would add roughly $7,881 to the county budget but would make a meaningful difference to library programs and services. “That added 1% isn’t gonna make that big of a difference to your county budget or the mill rate, but it will impact lives if you reduce our funding,” Thomas said.
Multiple other commenters made related appeals. Susan Christiansen, who identified herself as the new director of the Barron Public Library, described libraries’ role in serving 26,000 county residents who live outside municipal limits and offered to brief supervisors on how library funding works. Jay Kepin, president of the Barron County Area Literacy Council, said the organization relies on library space to provide free adult‑tutoring services and cautioned that reduced hours or cuts would limit opportunities for working adults.
Fair officials also asked the board to reconsider cuts to the fair and museum appropriations. Kevin Roski, who said he manages the Barron County Fair, provided budget details and asked that the board restore a proposed $10,000 reduction to the fair’s appropriation. Roski said the fair has about $401,000 in annual expenses, including roughly $45,000 in payroll, $11,000 in judges’ expenses, $25,000 for entertainers and about $20,000 in premiums for exhibitors. Russell, identified as president of the fair board, described the fair’s many community roles and noted that the county’s historic $50,000 annual appropriation represents a small percentage of the fair’s overall economic impact.
Chair acknowledged the comments and reminded the public that the board will hear the proposed budget and take public comment at a Nov. 4 public hearing at 6:00 p.m., when supervisors can make or change appropriation decisions.
