Board member Mike proposes resolution for predictable Sawyer County library funding

At a Sawyer County Board meeting, Board member Mike opened a discussion on library funding and proposed that the board develop a resolution to give libraries a predictable annual increase, aiming to remove the last‑minute volatility that complicates budget planning.

Mike said he supports libraries but wants decisions driven by data: "one of my life tenants is data‑driven decision making," and suggested a formula that would provide libraries the greater of a percentage tied to their circulation or a cost‑of‑living increase. He said he would draft a proposal for the committee to consider next month.

Resident Linda Zilmer, an Edgewater property owner and user of the Hayward and Rice Lake libraries, told the board that libraries serve as the community's "third place" outside work and family where residents connect. She provided links and materials to board members by email and urged officials to consider community development alongside economic development.

Members reacted favorably to the idea of predictable funding. Several supervisors said a standing formula or baseline would help libraries plan and reduce surprise requests late in the annual budget process. Stacy Hessle suggested taking the draft to finance so members could see numeric impacts; Mike and others agreed the item should go to both economic development (the committee of jurisdiction) and the finance committee for numbers and possible action in July.

Procedural note: earlier in the meeting the board approved the minutes from the previous meeting. Randy Newman was recorded as the mover and Stacy Hessle as the seconder; the motion passed by voice vote.

Next steps: Mike said he would prepare a draft resolution and present it at the committee level next month so that finance can provide cost estimates and the committees can decide whether to bring a final proposal to the full board.