Sussex rejects Lisbon library proposal

 Village of Sussex - The Village Board tonight uanimously rejected a counter proposal offered by the Town of Lisbon as the two communities continue to negotiate on whether they will  share one million dollars in operating cost for the Pauline Haass Library.

Village President Greg Goetz expressed disappointment that the Town Board rejected during its Monday night meeting a contract proposal recommended by a negotiating committee comprised of town, village and library representatives.

The negotiating committee proposal would require the town to pay about $425,000 annually and the village pay about $500,000.. The formula in the proposal is based on each community's library usage, tax base and population.

The village would pay about $40,000 more than it presently pays for library operations and the town would pay abourt $40,000 less, according to village officials.

The town's counter proposal adopts the first two years of the negotiating committee pay scheduled but beginning in 2015, the town's annual contribution to the library would drop to $250,000.

Town Chairman Matt Gehrke said the $250,000 is equivalent to the amount of a tax levy town residents would pay if they were required to pay 24 cent per $100,000 county wide library tax. Town residents do not pay the tax because of the existing cost sharing agreement between the communities.

Gehrke said the village should contribute more money to the library than the town because village residents use the library more than town residents. Goetz said the town is trying to demand Sussex residents pay more than their fair share of the library costs.

Goetz said the village board will meet in a closed session later this month to determine whether and how to continue the negotiations.