Hancock forms library committee
School board will address issue
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HANCOCK -- The City of Hancock will explore the possibility of forming a district library. At a special meeting Wednesday, the Hancock City Council voted in favor of Resolution 26-14, joining Hancock Public Schools in the library exploration. To do so, the two entities must work together to draft a millage proposal that, If implemented, would take financial stress off of the school district.
Council members Dean Woodbeck and Whitney Warstler were appointed on the newly formed District Library Planning Committee. The committee will be comprised of two city council members and two members of the Hancock School Board. Woodbeck said there is a lot of work to be done before the Aug. 11 millage deadline.
"This planning committee is going to have to develop a document that is an agreement between the city and school district about how all this is going to work," he said. "The other thing I think we're going to have to talk about is what millage we are going to propose. That's how the library will have to be funded."
Both Woodbeck and Warstler have been avid supporters of the library. They have attended Portage Lake District Library and Hancock School District Board of Education meetings to learn more about the funding issue. Warstler said she has been impressed by community members who have stepped up and became leaders on this issue.
"There's been a ton of work behind the scenes and it's really impressive and heartwarming to see how important it [the library] is to our community," she said.
One community member who has been leading the charge is Hancock parent and library patron Carolyn Dekker. She spoke up during public comment and urged city council to continue to take action. She said the community has rallied around the library and is grateful that the city council is supporting it.
"It has been moving from crisis to crisis, which is not pleasant," Dekker said. "But it is pleasant to be getting to know more of my wonderful neighbors who also care about the library."
During the discussion portion of the library agenda items, City Manager Mary Babcock said the margin for error is small if the city and school district want a millage proposal on the November ballot.
"I think it's going to be an extremely tight timeline. There's like 11, 12 days we have to complete this," Babcock said. "There's a lot of questions out there that need to be answered."
According to Babcock, the two entities have until 4 p.m. on Aug. 11 to submit the proposal. She added multiple attorneys need to get involved. A library attorney, Anne Seurynck, the city's attorney, the school district's attorney and a state legal representative all have to mull over the millage proposal.
Babcock said the state will be accommodating to the issue, as it is aware of the state of the Hancock Library. If the millage does not pass or even get on the November ballot, the library is at risk of closing after its Mar. 2027 contract extension with PLDL.
"There's a risk either way," Babcock said.
The Hancock Schools Board of Education was planning to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, where it was to join city and work with all parties to put a millage proposal on the November ballot. We will have coverage of that meeting in Saturday’s Daily Mining Gazette.