A few Sheboygan residents wonder if Sheboygan taxpayers subsidize the cost of public library services for other area residents.  Looking at the big picture can sometimes help quantify the size of the issue at hand.  My big picture in this case results from comparing the percentage of Mead Public Library services used by City of Sheboygan residents with the percentage of the library budget provided by the City of Sheboygan.  Using the measure of items checked out to represent service provided, it breaks out like this for 2009:

The difference between the budget allocation percentage and the services used percentage is 2%.  Two percent of the 2009 budget for Mead Public Library is $69,000.   I understand that in these troubled economic times it is important to examine every service and to consider every expenditure very carefully.  However, I don’t think it is either reasonable or responsible to propose that the City of Sheboygan no longer participate in Eastern Shores Library System (ESLS) over a matter of some $69,000 -- especially when the best-case scenario cost for replacing the services lost is $250,000 with a related income loss of $50,000 for a total negative impact of $300,000. 

In addition to the City of Sheboygan allocation for public library services, those services are funded by other income (including gifts) generated by the library and by payments from area counties for services provided to residents of non-libraried (non-exempt) communities.  These communities obtain no ownership in any library assets due to their payments for service.

The current service/funding arrangement benefits (rather than harms) the City of Sheboygan and Sheboygan residents:  By serving a wider audience than only residents of the City of Sheboygan and by receiving funding from non-libraried communities and other sources, the City of Sheboygan and the Library Board have a joint opportunity to develop Mead Public Library services, collections, and facilities to the benefit of all the area residents that the library serves -- most especially to the Sheboygan residents that the City seeks to serve.

The mission statement adopted by the Mead Public Library Board shows that the library is developed to meet the needs of City of Sheboygan residents.  Mead Public Library collections, facilities, and services are intended to address the needs of those residents.  Others are welcome to use those services through contractual and other arrangements associated with the City's participation in Eastern Shores Library System (ESLS).  ESLS participation works both ways:  City of Sheboygan residents are welcome to use the collections, facilities, and services of other area public libraries.   

Sheboygan residents increasingly rely on the information and entertainment resources available at Mead Public Library, as do residents without public library services of their own.  The latter pay for the public library services they receive from Mead and other area libraries through the county library levy.  Sheboygan residents do not pay this county tax. 

Use of Mead Public Library by Sheboygan area residents with libraries in their communities has been declining.  The level of this use decreased by 14% in 2009 compared with the level for 2000.  During the same time period, checkouts by other area residents increased by 17% and checkouts by Sheboygan residents increased by 35%.  Please view this report about checkouts to residents of Sheboygan and Sheboygan County for details:

Checkout Service 2000-2009 (PDF file)

The table below presents recent data (2009) about the increasing use of Mead Public Library as measured by items checked out: