Letter to the Editor: The Truth is the Truth, Especially During Elections

I would like to take this opportunity to once again point out how grossly uneducated and misinformed Mark Albers and his fellow members of B-PAC are on how a Library Board of Trustees works.

They have repeatedly demonstrated an inability to do the most basic due diligence before presenting as fact to the population of Morton Grove such assertions (in their own words) as “The taxpayers do not have to vote to approve a new [library] building. Any referendum is only advisory. The library board may overrule it. The village board cannot block it. The simple, frightening truth is that seven people can decide to spend $20-30 million to build a new library no matter what anyone else thinks. That is why [our group] exists." 

Through their own admission, their organization is built on a foundation that is entirely untrue.

The Illinois state law on libraries is very clear that the village board must approve any plan for construction or improvement. When the seven people who can decide the fate of a new or improved library building, it is not the library board but the village board. A position the current library trustees have always understood and stated. If they had simply asked a few questions or looked at the law instead of jumping to conclusions they’d have saved themselves some embarrassment and everyone else a lot of pain and unneeded worry about a “frightening truth” that never existed.

Again in their own published words, “The frightening truth is that the current Board has spent years advocating a new $20 million building.” The fact of the matter is that the board has conducted a comprehensive study including a Needs Assessment (i.e. does our library work for our residents?) complete with a public forum and a Building Assessment (i.e. what shape is our building and systems in?) which were completed in May of 2010. There were comparative cost studies included (new, replace, repair) for the current site and two others. These reports are available to view at the library. What is so “frightening” about that?

They started to attract attention by throwing around words like “forensic audit” and “hidden funds." If they had just asked they would know that the library gets audited, every year by a firm chosen by the village board. Then they decided to look at the most recent available audit (2009) and came up with the far-fetched deduction that the library has some kind of $2,000,000 secret slush fund. When in reality that is an accounting of the library’s operating budget from 2009 in the Village budget.  B-PAC’s collective confusion over the standard audit label “Reserved/restricted for culture and recreation” could have been painlessly resolved if they had asked the CPA or the auditor before jumping to more self-serving and wrong conclusions. Now they want to send more tax money for another audit because they have no understanding what the existing audits actually says. Once again they never asked about or researched these issues before sharing their misinterpretation with the public. In their words – that’s frightening!

The current board is always trying to save money and increase non-tax revenue. This year the library is realizing a $59,000 savings in health care costs due the work of the board. It also is looking at the feasibility of corporate sponsored programs and asset naming rights.

Staff costs are tied to library use and are minimized by hiring as many part time employees as possible and reallocating salaries as senior people retire. Those five new people Albers likes to mention? Well, two are part-time and will work (when hired) seven hours a week.  Another two are also part time working about 17 hours a week and the last is a restored full-time Reference Librarian for a position cut back in 2005.

The downturn in the economy has had two major effects on the library; a record increase in usage and a huge reduction in revenue. The sizeable interest money the library made just a few years ago, along with state grant money, is now almost nonexistent. Faced with these facts the board had the unpleasant and unpopular options of cutting services to the community when they need it the most or raising the tax levy to fund operations. The library’s portion of your total tax bill is between 3 percent and 4 percent (depending on what school district you live in). That amount was raised 15 percent. For example if you paid $5000 in taxes in 2011 your 2012 tax bill will be $30 higher (5000 X .04 X .15).

Unlike the village board, the library doesn’t have the option of replacing lost revenue with borrowing or raising fees. By law the library can carry no debt.

With a faint understanding of library business and no apparent inclination to address real library issues, B-PAC attempted to clear the field even before the election started by challenging the PROLibrary candidates’ right to be on the ballot.  Circuit Court Judge Karkalla dismissed their objections to the PROLibrary slate, stating they failed to meet the fundamental elements of an objector’s requirements. Their own assertion that the ability to file accurate paper work speaks for one’s ability to be a worthy trustee should apply to them in this case. Shouldn’t it?  Did they ask the residents of Morton Grove if it was OK to spend village time and resources and thousands of dollars in taxpayers' money on this?  No, of course not. Frightening.

Since the foundation of their reason for being crumbled, it’s obvious that they are grasping at straws which in turn are crumbling also.

Did I know Bernadette Fahy, Renee Miller, Laura Frisch or Lawrence Levin, the candidates running to keep their seats on the Library Board of Trustees, before they joined the board?

I did not.

After serving on the Board with them and seeing their unselfish and unwavering commitment to the Village of Morton Grove and its library, do I consider them my friends?

Yes I do, as every resident should.

Daniel Hoffman, www.PROLibraryMG.com