VOTE NO! on the LIBRARY MILLAGE

Hi All,
From Bloomfield Township Library literature:  

The Library Board of Trustees decided to place a proposal to restore and supplement the library millage on the November 4, 2014 ballot.

The following statement is from ME:
VOTE NO !

• The law required the millage rollbacks! The current millages (when initially approved by the taxpayers) were 1 mill in 1982 and 0.7874 mills in 2002.    Both millages are collected in perpetuity.  There is NO expiration date.  We will always have some kind of budget to operate the library. 
  
  Over the years, the mills were rolled back as required by law.   Instead of the 1.7874 mills that was originally approved in 1982 and 2002, the library can only NOW collect 1.459 mills.
  
  
  Right now, in 2014, that tax dollar  REVENUE is a generous  $4,755,210 per year.
  What this millage requests ... if passed...
  would take the 2014 millage rate for the library  to a new rate of  2.0 mills... collecting a NEW total of   $6,511,210   (for each of the 10 years through the year 2023).
  

• WHY is the "supplement" wanted..?  
•  Is it because the personnel costs are 61.52% of the library budget?
• The employees did get a 1% raise.  "....."         

• The library trustees have money in the bank to repair the leaks in the roof and to fix the basement leaks. 

   2014 Audit of Library Finances (pdf page 27/49)

Do you know? 
YOU ARE ALSO CURRENTLY PAYING ANOTHER LIBRARY TAX... !!!

• Not only is money collected for the Library to OPERATE on 1.4590 mills as shown above ($4.5 million), 
• but in 2004 the taxpayers also approved a library bond for $22,875,000 with a millage @ 0.49 mills to repay the debt over 20 years.
• THEREFORE.....HERE IS ANOTHER millage of .49 mills which approx. collects an additional $1.7 Million. 
• Still owed on the bond debt:    $16,385,000 PLUS interest.
• Apparently the library REFINANCED the bonds and supposedly saved $1.3 million.   I wonder what the FEE was to do that?

DO THE MATH:

• Right now, October 2014,  your tax bill in December 2014 will have 1.459 mills library operating PLUS 0.49 mills library bond debt for a total of 1.949 mills due for the LIBRARY.
• IF the millage passes on Nov. 2014, your tax bill in December 2014 will have 2.0 mills library operating PLUS 0.49 library bond debt for a total of 2.49 mills.

The library is asking for a new EXTRA amount =  $1.7 million dollars
for each of the next ten years!   TOO MUCH....for TOO LONG !!!

$17,560,000 !  Excessive amount of money is being requested with this millage request. Vote NO

Approving this millage would give the library:

•  a line item in the budget for TAX REVENUE:     $6,511,210  each year  
• a open check book on how to spend all this NEW money 
• money going for LIBRARY SERVICES... not likely...see the chart above
• more money than they NEED....keep YOUR money in YOUR bank account!  Vote NO. 
• VOTE NO on NOV. 4, 2014 !

See my other blog on this issue:  http://bloomfieldtwphappenings.blogspot.com/2014/08/why-spend-savings-ask-for-10-year.html

*****Check out the budget for the library bond debt 
*****and the budget for the library operating costs 
*****and check out the PENSION plans for the Library employees (and township employees).




 from the township website:


 from the library website: