Message from Hudson Area Library

On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd, voters in the City of Hudson will have the opportunity to strengthen the Hudson Area Library by voting yes on the ballot proposition that would enhance the library’s community-based funding.

The Library has been making ends meet with great difficulty. It costs the Library $200,000 a year to operate at the level you’ve come to expect. However, we only receive $48,000 from the City of Hudson. This funding is greatly appreciated, but is not guaranteed.

So you may ask, how does the Library function when our operating costs far outstrip this funding? Simply put, we’ve been spending down our endowment fund to balance the budget for the past several years and there’s just not enough left in the endowment to balance the budget moving forward.

That’s why we’re asking you, the Hudson taxpayers to support the Library’s ballot proposition on Election Day. Your share of the proposition is based on your property’s assessment.

For the City of Hudson, the average assessment is $108,000. Hudson homeowners would be asked, on average, to pay an additional $2 a month ($24 per year) to help support the Library. This will bring the total community-based funding the Library will receive from City homeowners to $120,000.

This community-based funding coupled with additional modest state, county and other local funding the Library receives, the support we receive from the Friends of the Hudson Area Association Library as well as committed community members who make the Library a philanthropic priority, will enable the Hudson Area Library to provide the programs and services the community has come to expect.

If you approve the propositions, the Hudson Area Library will be able to:

• Extend library hours
• Enhance staffing for our children’s programs and activities
• Enhance staffing to help all of our patrons
• Add to our collections—especially new adult fiction books
• Increase public computer access and create a space just for adult users
• Extend the History Room hours
• Clean up and brighten the library by hiring a professional cleaning service
• Get out into the community more to let everyone know about our great programs and services

If the propositions do not pass, the Library will be forced to make substantial cuts to its programs and services including:

• No new materials purchases—no new books, CDs, DVDs, computer programs, periodical subscriptions
• Cut programs for children and seniors
• Cut hours—Library will only be open 35 hours per week
• Institute a fee for all inter-Library loans
• Severely curtail access and possibly close the History Room
• Reduce staff even further which will adversely impact how much we can help with research, computer access and job search assistance

Please VOTE YES

for the Hudson Area Library’s Ballot Proposition

on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You vote at your usual polling place.