> Was there a huge, medium, or small amount of politicking
> required at the legislature to choose this figure of
> $140,000,000?
This was a referendum approved by the voters in Minneapolis. It had nothing
to do with the Legislature.
>I do know that the library said, going into
> the talks with the mayor and whoever else, that the true
> cost of the new library and the money for the branches was
> $156,000,000.
This is correct. There are other funds included in the library project
besides bonds. These include TIF, private donations, and potentially
parking revenues.
>This included the increase in operating costs
> projected with the greater usage and greater hours over x
> period of time.
No, the operating costs will still have to be addressed. It is hard to
predict what operating costs will be until there is a firm design.
> When they came out of those meetings, the $140 million was a
> fixed number, but fixing it there didn't make sense to me.
The referendum vote was asking the voters for authorization to sell $140
million in bonds and to levy debt service to pay for those bonds.
Referendum law requires that you name an amount when you go to the voters.
> Is $140 million all the state was willing to allow?
The amount has nothing to do with the state. This was the amount that was
believed to be needed to do all the projects that the Library felt it needed
to do.
>It doesn't make sense to me to cheat your basic services so
> that you're forced to cut corners and cut corners till the
This levy is separate from any levy for basic services. I don't know of any
"cutting corners" or "cheating basic services" because this levy as it is
separate from other levies.
> dream you sold the voters for their money turns out to be,
> let us say, less than the thrilling hype before the election
> and passage of the referendum.
Having worked on getting this referendum passed, I have to say we didn't
exactly put together a lot of thrilling hype. In fact, we got very little
hype. Teeny weenie hype.
What the voters will get is a new library, one that will meet their needs
into the future, be an asset to the community, a center for learning and
pleasure, a center for the community. It will also get improved community
libraries, ones that will provide extra space for materials, computers, and
other community needs. And this is a dream of 70% of our residents, that
they have given us the ability to fulfill.
Carol Becker
Longfellow
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