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"It has come to the point where in the next four years our cost will exceed our income to where we cannot function anymore," Library Director Erin Schmandt said, adding that the library has tried to sustain as cheaply as possible without cutting services. "We're running on 1970 dollars in 2008."

The library operates with half of the space recommended and on a budget over $100,000 less than the average for other Michigan Libraries of similar service populations, reported an April 2007 Needs Assessment and Planning Report conducted by The Brenton Group, Inc.

By becoming a district library, the surrounding townships that agree to join the district would contribute a millage to the library along with their current contributions from state aid and penal funds. Currently, Chesaning Township contributes a millage and Albee, Brady, Chesaning, Chapin and Maple Grove Townships all contribute state aid and penal fines.

Chesaning Township residents now pay one mill, which because of the Hadley Rollback is currently $ .9284, per $1,000 of taxable evaluation amount for a property. According to Township Clerk Sue Emmendorfer, the district change would not increase the current fee because residents are already engaged in a mill for the library; the millage could stay the same or even decrease with the change.

Albee, Brady, Chapin and Maple Grove township boards will vote whether or not to become part of the district library; funding issues such as a new millage would then be placed on the public ballot. Schmandt said that a total financial contribution from each of the townships could not be estimated until the number of townships willing to make the change is known.

Schmandt also said that the penal fines and state aid the library currently receives are unstable. A 50 percent reduction in state aid for 2007-2008 was proposed and penal fines have been decreasing every year.

"Over fifty percent of libraries in Michigan have or are trying to be district libraries. The Library of Michigan advocates district libraries...it is the most stable way of funding a public library," Schmandt said.

The townships that agree to become part of the district will sign an agreement, which would address library services, funding and specific legal details. The agreement would then have to be approved by the Michigan Sate Librarian and a legal specialist before the library officially became a district. Once the agreement process is finished, funding must be put in place within three years or the library would revert back to their township form.

The change would allow other townships to be represented on the library board, make more services possible and enable the prospect of a new building.

The Benton Group report said that the Chesaning Library's current space to house books and other materials is nearly 63 percent less than the recommended library industry standards and provides only 35 percent of the recommended square footage for adult seating, described in the report as a "severe space deficit." With the current building at 6,000 square feet, the group estimated that, for the service area population, the building needs to be at least 10,734 square feet.

The current building, built in the 1950's in a location that was formerly a sawmill, is slowly sinking as the sawdust underneath the foundation decays. Though the space is owned by the village and not the township, the library built an addition in the 1980's.

Schmandt said that if a move becomes possible, the library would remain in the Chesaning Village limits to stay easily accessible.

The Benton Group report suggested the changes to include more seating and natural light, coffee and snacks in a controlled atmosphere, a quiet reading area, quiet study group areas, community meeting area and study rooms.

A new building would also provide space for more programs. Schmandt has hopes for more young adult programs, book clubs for ages 8-12, more adult classes, a Battle of the Books program where teams are quizzed on different reading selections, and a mobile computer lab to enable the library to offer computer classes at township halls.

"While the Chesaning Public Library faces severe space limitations," reads the Benton Group's review, "its commitment to meet the service needs of the community-even at the far reaches of its service area-is unwavering, as evidenced by the wide variety of services it continues to offer area residents of all ages."

A second informational meeting, designed for the townships involved and open to the public, is planned for March 3 at the Chesaning Public Library at 7 p.m.