Posted: 8/24/04
New library contract on hold
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Eight local librarians attended the Houston County Board of Commissionersí meeting on August 17 with the goal of getting a new contract.
The board delayed a funding request of $101,842 for Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO), but the two sides came up with a plan to get a contract that seemed to make everybody happy.
Second district commissioner Kevin Kelleher said he would like to see a uniform contract with all nine counties in SELCO. He said he would address it with commissioners from the other eight counties in SELCO at the annual conference of the Association of Minnesota Conference December 6-8 in St. Cloud.
The goal would be to get a uniform contract, an idea that SELCO executive director Ann Hutton and the other librarians at the meeting seemed to like.
Kelleher said he did not agree with Huttonís request for $6,097 for the Rushford library that was part of her overall funding package.
Hutton said that the Rushford library, which is in Fillmore County, was was included because many Houston County residents use it.
Kelleher said that many of those people are using the new library in Houston now. The board had not wanted to go down the reciprocity slope in the past, Kelleher said.
Hutton said that itís not normal reciprocity, but rather is a burden on the Rushford library. There are no firm guidelines, but Rushford felt Houston County residents were a substantial part of their use, Hutton said.
The City of Houston library serves a lot of Winona County residents with no reimbursement or reciprocity, Dave Corcoran pointed out.
Once the entire system is automated and everyone using it, then it will be a level playing field, Kelleher said.
At the end of the discussion, Hutton asked if the board would consider signing a new contract. Third district commissioner Ann Thompson said the board would consider it, but that it would make more sense to wait and see how discussion at the conference in December goes. Thatís where the issue now stands.
The librarians at the meeting included SELCO board members Pam Griffith and Kim Ross and directors LaVonne Beach, La Crescent; Barb Bissen, Hokah; Marla Burns, Caledonia; Liz Gibson-Gasset, Houston; Milly Halverson, Spring Grove; and Susan Hart, Rushford.
Other business
Also at last weekís meeting, commissioners approved the hiring of Nick Schwebach and Don Hagen to be used as needed as drop-site employees, at the recommendation of Tim Comstock, county personnel director.
ï County public health director Linda Grupa told the board that she is concerned with the rising costs of Medicare for senior citizens. Out of pocket expenses are projected to be 55.5 percent of social security expenses by the year 2030, as compared to 19.9 percent now.
ìThat is going to be one of the many major challenges down the road,î first district commissioner Larry Graf said.
Grupa also handed out a survey for commissioners to complete on the subject of essential local public health activities.
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