Flickr user: Library of Congress

To everyone who visited this website, Tweeted, liked our and other support pages on Facebook. To those who wore “Ask me about the library millage” t-shirts and Support CADL buttons. To those who handed out flyers, postcards, bookmarks and brochures. To those who understood that communities without libraries are not communities we’d like to live in. To the 71.45% of voters who turned out yesterday to vote YES to keep Capital Area District Libraries OPEN. To CADL employees, families and friends who support Ingham County libraries daily. We are proud to have stood with you in this year’s primary election. Congratulations, you all helped save our libraries.

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

It’s the day we’ve been working toward for … well, for a while. And it will all be for nothing if you don’t fulfill your civic duty and head to the polls by 8 pm today. Not sure where to vote? Check out this website. Just enter your name,birth month and year, and zip code to discover your voting location. It’s really pretty simple! Just remember that the CADL ballot question is on the BACK of your ballot, and please vote YES to keep Capital Area District Libraries open. (Remember: if the renewal fails, all CADL branches will close January 3, 2011!)

If you’re really in to supporting CADL, head out to Kelly’s in Downtown Lansing starting at 5 pm to watch the results come in with Support CADL volunteers and CADL staff. If you can’t make it to Kelly’s, keep your eye on the Ingham County Clerk’s website beginning at 8 pm to watch the results come in – just remember to refresh the webpage every half hour or so .

With the election only five days away, it is time to take the final action to ensure that your CADL library remains open to provide vital services to the residents of its service area.  Many of you have already given generously of your time, and for that Support CADL is more appreciative than we can say.  In these days leading up to the vote, try taking these simple steps to participate in the final advocacy push before the election:

-  Participate in our Change Your Status drive coming up this weekend on Facebook. Starting Friday 7/31, update your status to read, “Support CADL by voting YES this Tuesday, August 3 to keep Capital Area District Libraries OPEN!”

-  Tell at least three other people you know who vote what the library menas to you, and why they should vote yes

-  Make sure you know where you should go to vote.  If you’re not sure, check out this link, or call your local library and ask them for help finding out your voting location.

-  Mark the election on your calendar, or write yourself a reminder note.

If you love your libraries, then please take a few moments to put these final steps into action.  Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter; we’ll be posting every day until the election!

From Flickr User: Library of Congress

When I was at the grocery store the other day, I overheard a couple of grandparents having a conversation:

Grandpa: What are we going to do with the kids all week?
Grandma: You sound like you are not looking forward to having your grandchildren stay with us.
Grandpa: Sally, it has been a long time since we ran after three young kids.
Grandma: Don’t worry – I already ran by the library and checked out movies, some books and a book on CD for the drive to Lake Michigan on Tuesday. The library also has a magic show on Wednesday and storytime Thursday night.

Kind of makes you smile doesn’t it? This conversation illustrates everything we love about libraries. Our public libraries have something for everyone! Andrew Carnegie recognized the far reaching appeal and overall community resource that the library represents – it is evident in the very design of his buildings. The library is the heart of the community. Think about it. What other building in our community do you observe both curious toddlers and esteemed seniors sharing resources with both a sense of purpose and camaraderie? The library brings people together by providing resources that are enjoyed by all ages, genders, races, and religions.

Libraries of today provide a central place for information, entertainment and community activity. You can see it when you attend an author presentation, a travelogue, cooking demonstration, story time or stop to admire an art, culture, or craft display. It is one of the most community responsive fundamentally unifying public institutions still standing. We urge you to support this institution by voting YES for the CADL renewal on the August 3 ballot.

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”