May 5, 2023 |
Photo – Hanna Library – Bigfoot99 file photo
Debate continues among Carbon County Commissioners about what to do with the Hanna library.
At the February 28th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, County Attorney Ashley Davis said she received an MOU from the Hanna Town Hall asking to revise their county library agreement. In its current form, the county owns the building the library is in, but Hanna pays for the utilities. Seeing a substantial rise in the natural gas bill, Hanna asked to amend the contract to have the county take over payments.
At Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, the county’s Building and Grounds Manager Mike Newbrough presented a resolution to set a hard limit to the cost of utilities for the Hanna library.
County Attorney Davis corrected Newbrough. She said the contract lists the maximum cost of gas at $1,500 a year, not a month. Davis said the contract is for the upcoming fiscal year. Davis said signing the resolution would be hasty since the county has yet to finalize next year’s budget.
During the March 21st BOCC meeting, Hanna Mayor Jon Ostling said he would move the library into the town’s recreation center. Attorney Davis said the plan had changed. The library will remain where it is, and Hanna will be responsible for paying up to $1,500 a year to heat the building. Davis said making an agreement would be ill-advised before the county’s library budget has been settled.
Attorney Davis proposed amending the contract. She said a way for the county to stop paying for utilities needs to be added to the contract in case financial circumstances necessitates the Hanna library closing.
The commissioners said they approved of Attorney Davis’s alteration to the contract. The topic will be revisited once Hanna agrees to the changes.
