By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL — With a vote likely coming on Monday on the idea of permanently moving the Chapel Hill Public Library to University Mall, Chapel Hill’s library plans will pass another milestone.
But discussion last weekend proved that it won’t be the end of an ongoing debate over how to fund the town’s library services.
The mall proposal, which was roundly panned at a public forum two weeks ago and has not gained additional traction since details of the idea were released late last year, is scheduled for review by the Chapel Hill Town Council at its meeting Monday night. If the council rejects the idea, the decision would clear the way for work to begin on a temporary move of the library to a space near A Southern Season while a $16 million addition to the library is under construction.
At their annual retreat Friday and Saturday at the former Chapel Hill Museum, members of the town council said the big concern that remains is the county’s static annual contribution to the town. Construction costs of the addition will come out of the town’s capital funds, but after renovations the town is looking at several hundred thousand dollars in additional operating expenses annually.
At the retreat, council members Matt Czajkowski and Laurin Easthom reiterated their support for exploring a shift to charging non-residents, especially if the county refuses to increase it’s annual $250,000 payment to the town.
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said in conversations with former county commission board Chair Valerie Foushee and new Chair Bernadette Pelissier, he’s passed on that there are “strong voices†on the council for charging non-residents.
Czajkowski said the town already has a model for doing so in the way charges for Parks & Recreation facilities are handled. He said the timing could coincide with the renovation, when the library will be in a smaller space.
“A good time to do it would be when we move to the temporary facility,†he said.
Council members Sally Greene and Gene Pease said they are scheduled to meet with members of the board of commissioners to discuss library issues on Monday.
Pease said those negotiations, which started last year, were delayed after the board of commissioners’ elections.
He said he had mixed feelings about changing the fee policy.
“I’m very conflicted,†Pease said. “I’d hate to shut people out, given the economic times.â€
Council member Penny Rich said she’s concerned about the county’s recent announcement that it intends to build a new library in Carrboro.
The county announced in late October that commissioners had approved a contract on land adjacent to Carrboro Elementary School with the intent of using it for a southwest branch library.