Board OKs proposal for library bond
By Deb GauMARSHALL - The Lyon County Board on Tuesday gave its support to a proposal to fund construction of a new library in Marshall, but commissioners also voiced concerns over a lack of public support for the library project.
"I thought about how I would vote on this, but it's tough," said Commissioner Bob Fenske during discussion at the board's regular meeting.
"I do not hear very much support for this new library.'
The board voted 3-2 in favor of making an additional $270,000 in contributions to a Marshall city bond to pay for library construction, contingent on money from the sale of the current library building being used to reimburse some of the payments. Commissioners Phil Nelson and Rodney Stensrud voted against the proposal.
Making up the difference in money needed for a $5 million new library could help construction move forward and keep the project from losing its $2 million Carr conditional donation.
Marshall City Administrator Ben Martig came before the board with a pair of requests based on discussion from the last county board meeting. The first asked commissioners to consider a motion to create a shared ownership agreement with the city of Marshall for a new library, with the city paying two-thirds of total operating costs and the county paying one third. Currently the county pays for one third of the library's operating costs, but not building maintenance.
The second request asked commissioners to consider a motion to fund one-third of the difference needed to pay for a new library building. Martig said the city of Marshall would take out a $1.4 million bond to help fund the library and pay for two-thirds of it, leaving the county to pay about $270,000 over 15 years. Projected annual payments would be between $17,000 and $18,000 per year, Martig said.
The first bond payment would be made in 2011, he said.
No motion was made to enter into shared ownership of a new library, but commissioners had some discussion about whether or not to contribute more money to the project. Lyon County is already contributing $250,000 toward construction of the new library.
"I see no interest in ownership there when the Cottonwood and Balaton libraries own their own buildings," Nelson said.
He also worried that what the board does could set a precedent for other libraries in the county, like Tracy and Minneota, who have a combination of building and funding issues to ask for county dollars. "This opens up a whole big can of worms as far as I'm concerned."
Nelson moved that the county maintain status quo in its library agreements, but the motion died for lack of a second.
Commissioner Mark Goodenow moved the county participate in the bonding, but only if the current library building was sold and the money used to reimburse some of the bond payments.
Nelson said he didn't like the lack of security in that proposal.
"If you're furnishing a loan, you should have some security," he said. There was no telling if and when the building would sell, and how much money it would raise.
"Why doesn't Marshall just bite the bullet?" Nelson said. The county bonded for its jail project without city help, he said. "And I guarantee we'll have Minneota and Tracy coming to us, if this is the route we're going."
The $18,000 annual payments didn't look so bad individually, but "it's still $270,000," said Commissioners Stensrud and Fenske.
"I have heard very little public support," Stensrud said of the project.
Fenske said his constituents also didn't see the new library as a need, and questioned its location by the Marshall Middle School.
Goodenow replied that the old middle school lot downtown was never made available to the library during the planning process, and even if it had been, the library wouldn't be a boost to downtown business like proponents of the location hope.
"That's such a poor reason" to have the library downtown, Goodenow said. With MMS and the Marshall Area YMCA nearby, he added that the current building site "is actually close to the center of town."
After the commissioners' close vote on the bond funding, Martig said he would present the option to the Marshall City Council next week.
The board also discussed the process used to award a provider for sand to be used as cover at the county landfill. Commissioner Steve Ritter said he had heard from members of the public who were upset that a price quote from the Lyon County Highway Department went up against quotes from private businesses, and that the county used quotes instead of sealed bids in that situation.
"It looked pretty fishy to me," Ritter said. "I had two contractors call me, and they weren't very happy."
The highway department's quote of $27,000 for sand was the lowest of five received, $100 less than the next lowest bid.
Lyon County Environmental Director Paul Henriksen said the price quotes were all submitted separately, and all but one of the higher quotes were received sealed.
"We didn't realize it would be so close," Henriksen said.
"There was no information sharing at all" in the highway department's price quote, said Lyon County Public Works Director Suhail Kanwar.
Ritter said he thought the county should take itself out of the running for the material, and go with the contractor with the next lowest quote.
Lyon County Attorney Rick Maes said that would be an acceptable move, if the board chose.
"I like the suggestion to move ahead," Maes said. "If you want to remove the county from that, you can. The point is to accept the lowest quote."
In the end, however, the board voted 4-1 in favor of accepting the highway department's price for the sand, with Ritter casting the only vote against.
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wheresthebeef
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10-09-09 9:32 AM
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Although I support a new library the current plan is flawed. I agree with Roscoe, why are the county commissioners supporting this flawed plan? It just rewards the Library Board for its failure to garner publice support
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Roscoe
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10-08-09 9:06 PM
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If I understand this correctly, we have some county commissioners who say they don't hear much public support for this project, yet they still vote in favor of doing this? Who are they representing? Sounds like they are supporting the minority or special interest group. Very disappointing to us as taxpayers!!
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TommmyA
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10-08-09 8:31 AM
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Once again, Marshall has its hand out and it gets the money. Ugh!
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hj1234
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10-08-09 2:36 AM
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Goodenow replied that the old middle school lot downtown was never made available to the library during the planning process, and even if it had been, the library wouldn't be a boost to downtown business like proponents of the location hope. and even if it had been, the library wouldn't be a boost to downtown business like proponents of the location hope. Goodnuff from Goodenow ? How Downtown would not benefit is preposterous Downtown Businessmen,,,any left to speak the truth? The money for the sand, goes directly to the state ? Do those state people spend and live in Marshall ?
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