Library issue moves forward

Hancock City Council & School Board met Friday

HANCOCK -- The Hancock Public Schools Board of Education and the Hancock City Council held a joint session Friday, approving items to forom a District Library Board. Three members were appointed by the City, Councilor Dean Woodbeck, Mayor Protem Whitney Warstler and city resident Ruth Gill. Two members were appointed by the school board, district residents Jillian Shilling and library advocate Carolyn Dekker.

Hancock Superintendent Chris Salani said the board was created to have a legal entity to put forth ballot language for November to fund the library through a millage. "With the two municipalities that came together, the school district being one of them, the city being the other, each had to be represented via an appointment process," Salani said.

According to Woodbeck, the original number of mills being levied in the millage was .6 mills; this was later amended to .7 mills. He said appointing board members is a good step in properly and legally funding the library. "It's a good next step to continuing the public library in Hancock," Woodbeck said. "I'm excited about it. I didn't think we could get things done this quickly."

Shilling said she was glad to be appointed to the board and was looking forward to getting involved in the process. “I attended the first school board meeting on that [funding issue]," she said. "I have a family connection with Ruth [Gill] and she told me they were looking for members."

The next steps for the library board are to wait for the state librarian to approve the board coming together, as well as the ballot language, before it goes to the Houghton County Clerk’s office to review and file before the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline.