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Hyde Park, N. Logan ponder how to pay for shared library

April 2nd, 2010 Posted in Opinion

By Kayla Harding

HYDE PARK–Selected City Council members met with the North Logan City Council Wednesday night to discuss Hyde Park’s financial contribution options to North Logan City Library.

Currently there is no formal agreement between the two cities binding Hyde Park citizens to fund the library. There is a $35 per person and $50 per couple suggested donation, to be made by residents of Hyde Park who use the library.

North Logan Mayor Lloyd Berentzen said, “We can’t keep the burden on the citizens of one municipality… it’s a difficult situation.”

Hyde Park Mayor Bryan Cox mentioned receiving an e-mail from Jay Monson, Logan Municipal Council chairman, informing him that a nonbinding opinion question asking citizen’s preference about a countywide library system will be on the ballot this November.

Cox also said that if Hyde Park doesn’t come to a financial agreement with North Logan before a countywide library system is implemented, Hyde Park will be obligated to join and the county will dictate a property tax to fund the new system.

North Logan council members raised the issue that if a countywide library system is favored by citizens, it would take time to put the system in order, when they are offering Hyde Park a library option now.

Cox asked the North Logan council if it would be open to another alternative besides an overall assessed tax, rather that those Hyde Park residents who used the library be assessed a fee.

Cox mentioned his concern in agreeing to an assessed tax if the idea was defeated, as it was in 1997 and 2000 when the option was given. Cox said the council would have a hard time agreeing to the tax, unless they knew the majority of Hyde Park citizens were in favor.

One North Logan councilman highly suggested Hyde Park citizens who are in favor of funding North Logan City Library inform other citizens of the issue to generate a more positive approach than that of the past so council members can return to North Logan council with an answer.

“How do we create an equitable situation for both cities? Because the last thing we want to do is to take away the opportunity for young people to have access to the library,” Mayor Berentzen said.

NW

Tags: funding, Hyde Park, library, North Logan