Curious about the ballot language? Read this!

Hey all you CADL supporters!  There have been some questions about the language on the ballot for the millage.  If you want to understand better, check out these words from CADL Director Lance Werner, borrowed from an LSJ comment section.

Read this, and spread the word to everyone you know if they seem confused about the language and what tax capture is.  If you still have questions, e-mail us at info@supportcadl.org, and we’ll answer them!

From Flickr User: Library of Congress

“All property taxes in Michigan are impacted by tax capturing authorities, commonly referred to as TIFAs (Tax Increment Financing Acts). These authorities include but aren’t limited to: Downtown Development Authorities, Michigan Promise Zone Authorities and Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities. Each authority collects a small portion of any millage, or property tax that is levied irrespective of the wants and desires of the municipality or governmental unit that is levying the millage and irrespective of the original purpose for which the millage was levied. The millage funds that are captured are used by the authority for purposes the authority was created for. In other words the funds go back to the communities where the authorities have been established.

In some cases it is possible to opt out of capture (new authorities) and in some cases it is not possible (Brownfields or when there is a pre-existing authority). Our policy is to opt-out of TIFAs when we can.

Unfortunately taxing authorities, such as the Capital Area District Library, cannot legally do anything about TIFAs that we are or were unable to opt out of. We are required by law to surrender a small percentage of the property taxes we receive to TIFAs and are also legally required to note this in ballot language. Any taxing authority that fails to list capturing TIFAs in its ballot language is in violation of Michigan law. There is no ploy and CADL has followed the law. Almost all of the millage money goes to support CADL, a very small percentage goes to TIFAs and no taxing authority has the legal authority to arbitrarily withdraw.

For anyone who has questions or would like to express an opinion about TIFAs, we suggest you read more about the state laws under which they are established at the Michigan Legislature website at www.legislature.mi.gov or consider contacting your state representative.

It is also true that the Capital Area District Library receives almost all of the millage funding and that 90% of its income comes from its millage which will generate approximately $600,000 less than it did in 2006 when it was first approved. CADL has made adjustments and will continue to make adjustments to deal with this decline in revenue. We know that people are tightening their belts and we are too. CADL is busier than ever (circulation is up 9.1% in 2009 and 181% since 2000; people used CADL’s Internet terminals for over 284,000 hours in 2009) and people from all walks of life use CADL’s resources. If the millage fails to pass CADL will close all of its 13 branches and bookmobile January 3, 2011 and Ingham County will be without library services, except East Lansing.

-Lance Werner, Capital Area District Library Director”

Date: Election Day, Tuesday August 3^rd

Time: 5:00 p.m. until you leave or closing time

Location: Kelly’s Irish Pub, Downtown Lansing - 203 South Washington Square

We’ll supply munchies, check election results from our designated election headquarters room, and have tables reserved for our party. We hope you’ll stop by to celebrate with us!

And in case you can’t make it to Kelly’s on Aug. 3…

Everyone involved in the Libraries Now!/Support CADL effort wants to thank you for your support in word, deed, and contribution. It is because of you that we are able to provide vital programs and materials to the communities we proudly serve.

With sincerest gratitude,

The Support CADL Team

Even more reasons to vote “yes” on renewing the CADL millage:

From Flickr User: Library of Congress

1. Library usage is up, not down. In fact, it’s way up. And CADL is not asking for one penny of increased funding. Not one penny! Seriously.

2. If the millage passes, it doesn’t increase your current property taxes by one penny, and the 13 CADL branches and bookmobile continue to operate. If the millage fails, the library closes, and your property taxes won’t even decrease enough for you to notice. (Less than 3.5%. Seriously.)

3. Michigan needs to hold on to young, college-educated people, especially families. You’ve heard about “cool cities”? Yeah, I didn’t really buy that either. My family and I don’t live in a loft, and we don’t want to. We don’t want a new nightclub, or a cool place to shop downtown. We want a library. We want story hours. We want a safe place to bring our kids where they can have fun and learn and we can find information on how to kill the dandelions in my lawn or cook a good dinner faster. If you want to keep college graduates in state, fund the library. Seriously.

“What is more important in a library than anything else – than everything else – is the fact that it exists.” -Archibald MacLeish

Earlier this month the Oakland Press published a story about the closure of the Troy libraries scheduled for July 1, 2011. According to the article the reduced hours and weekend closures that are occurring now in preparation for the closure caught many would be patrons by surprise. The frightening thing is that this could happen here in Lansing if library supporters are not aware that the August 3rd millage renewal provides almost 90% of the funding required to keep the library open.

No millage = no library.

This week, I have been asking patrons to tell me what the library means to them and I want to share some of their responses with you. Free books! Free movies! Free music and downloads! Free computers! I expected these because I spoke with a lot of kids who do not realize that their parents’ tax dollars make the library a good value, rather than ‘free.’ Adults tell me that libraries represent the cornerstone of democracy and that the access to all types of information regardless of income level, race, religion, education, physical limitations and age provides an immeasurable sense of security. What I hear most often is how much the personalized service in an increasingly non-personalized world is appreciated.

Do not allow what has happened in other areas happen in our community. Educate your friends and family about the importance of libraries in our community and encourage them VOTE YES on CADL’s renewal August 3.

Anyone here remember the movie, “Short Circuit 2?” In it, a naive robot, who thinks he is alive, is obsessed with collecting “input” or knowledge. As a middle school teacher, I identify with the character. Check out this scene from the movie in which the robot comes face to face with a massive bookstore, a treasure trove of input:

Certainly Capital Area District Library (CADL) provides input-seekers young and old with a vast array (terabytes!) of input. However, the CADL system doesn’t just offer media for borrowing and enjoyment. The CADL system is helping young children, teens, and adults stay mentally active year-round, especially in the summer months. The libraries offer scheduled group reading activities, song and dance, story-time events, live theater, family movies and a lot more. Check out all the summer activities here.

This video explains how programs, like those CADL offers during the summer, should be developed help fill the summer learning void:

As an educator, I concentrate on helping students develop the skills to be contributing members of a community. The library is a perfect place to practice using those skills. The library is a safe, comfortable and respectful place where community members can interact with one another, share knowledge and thoughts, be entertained and discover new things. It’s also a great equalizer, with free membership that allows all people access to its many resources, including free Internet.

The library system is maintained through civic support in many forms, especially the millage, which is up for renewal in the August 3 primary election. I encourage you to join me in showing our young people how as a community, we can participate in the political process to declare our support for the library system. Remember that scene from Short Circuit 2? “See those guys right there? They want to take your books away!” Let’s not be those guys and vote “Yes” to renew the CADL millage.

Mike Vasas is a Lansing resident who teaches middle school music.He runs a music blog project at http://songsnotbyme.com