FAQ Regarding the Joint-Library Agreement 

Q: What has happened regarding the existing Joint-Library Agreement?

On February 20, the Town of Grafton submitted a draft joint library agreement to the Village of Grafton. The existing agreement was set to end on June 12. During the past several years, the town has become proportionately responsible for unexpected expenses outside of the existing budgeted agreement. Because of this, the town felt it was prudent to re-negotiate our new agreement to protect taxpayers from additional unexpected expenses.

We asked the Village to review this document and provide feedback. No feedback was provided until the village hosted a meeting on May 12. A representative from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) also attended to facilitate the “nuts and bolts” of getting a new agreement approved. Up until this time, the Town was never made aware that both DPI and the Ozaukee County Board had to approve any joint Library agreement involving a Township. With village and town representatives in attendance, we were advised that the agreement needed to be approved by the Department of Public Instruction and Ozaukee County, which resulted in an unachievable timeline before the agreement expiration.

Shortly after, the Village provided a Memorandum of Understanding, which would have extended our existing joint-library agreement until a new agreement could be agreed upon.

We were willing to sign a MOU on the condition that it was accompanied by an Agreement in Principle (a non-binding document that would list the terms being worked on for the eventual new joint agreement). We received no response to this offer and no communication from village officials or staff regarding the negotiations after this point.

On May 27, the Grafton Village Board met and, in closed session, voted unanimously to take over the library as a municipal library under the village’s sole control. The joint library agreement will now terminate on June 12.

Q: Will town residents continue to financially support the library?

Once the joint library agreement expires, the Town of Grafton will be required to contribute library funds on the county level, and these funds will be disbursed to support the Grafton library and other libraries in Monarch system. Going forward, the Town budget will no longer have a line item for Library expenses, which will come off the existing levy. In place of that we will pay a slightly higher levy to Ozaukee County. The effect on our tax bills will essentially be the same: We will continue to provide funding, just through a different taxing vehicle. The difference is that the Grafton library will receive less money via county taxation that in would have had we come to an agreement. That amount will be determined by how many materials Town residents check out of other libraries in the Monarch system.

Our proposal would have increased our operating funding to the library to an amount higher than we have given before and would have increased annually with our equalized value.

Q: Will Town of Grafton residents still be able to use the library and the Monarch Library System?

Yes, our ability to use the Grafton library and the Monarch Library System will remain unchanged. The Village of Grafton should be able to maintain its status in the Monarch System if it completes its timeline to establish itself as a municipal library. Service to town and village residents will remain uninterrupted should they complete this.

Q: Can the Town and Village of Grafton reestablish the joint library agreement in the future?

While this is possible, it is not likely. Historically speaking, once these agreements terminate, it is difficult to revisit them. We were one of the few towns in the state that remained part of a joint library agreement. Most of the former joint municipal library agreements that existed were dissolved years ago as the intertwined Library systems like Monarch were established.

We learned through this process that our existing long-term agreement would have had to be re-negotiated even if we did not give notice to leave. There is a required review every census; our existing agreement was out of compliance as it was.

The negotiation process was anticipated and expected, but no negotiations occurred. The relationship between the Town and Village in providing joint library services has existed for decades and it is troubling that it is now dissolving.