Photo by Sanja Gjenero via morgueFile.com
To fend off a possible separation of Twin Lakes from the multi-municipality Community Library village officials would like to see better accounting of where Twin Lakes tax dollars are spent in the system and substantial improvements in programming at the Twin Lakes facility.
That’s how village administrator David Cox summarized what the village needs to see before making a final decision about initiating a separation next month. He was speaking at a round table meeting of representatives of the five municipalities called by Library Board President Ken Mangold
“That’s really the crux of the matter …,’ Cox said. “That’s what the community is looking for.”
Friday’s meeting was called after the Twin Lakes Village Board recently considered withdrawing from the Community Library at the suggestion of its representatives on the Community Library Board — Michael Mahoney and Sharon Bower, who also is a village trustee.
Mahoney and Bower make the case that the village has been neglected by the Community Library and that the village could run a better program by separating and using the funds now sent to the Community Library to operate a village library.
After the meeting, which was only for discussion without any formal action planned, Mangold was upbeat about the chance he will be able to appear before the Twin Lakes Village Board at its Nov. 22 meeting with a workable compromise that keeps the village in the Community Library.
“I’m optimistic it can be done,” Mangold said. “I think we can do it.”
But he also admitted that giving Twin Lakes the assurances it seeks will likely still take some consensus building among the other member municipalities — Salem, Paddock Lake, Silver Lake and Randall.
An example of how much work Mangold has cut out for himself might be shown by comments made at the meeting by Paddock Lake village President Marlene Goodson, who also is a Community Library Board member.
Goodson pointed out that in recent years Twin Lakes library board representatives have wanted a change in library staff leadership, a change in the fiscal agent and increased Twin Lakes branch programming. The former director was demoted and later fired, the fiscal agent was changed from Salem to Twin Lakes and increased Twin Lakes programming has been included in next year’s budget.
“We have given Twin Lakes everything they wanted,” Goodson said.
The Community Library has branches in Salem, Silver Lake and Twin Lakes.
