We need YOU!

Please come to an important meeting between the Evanston City Council and the Library Board, Monday Sept. 13, 7PM, Morton Civic Center 2100 Ridge Avenue, Evanston

At the start of the meeting, a speaker from Northwestern will explain how the City will soon be bankrupt, due to pension funding.

Next, the Mayor will introduce an ordinance that inextricably LINKS the library’s budget to the City’s budget, and says that they will begin by using the FY10-11 budget (which did not include the branches, eliminated many staff positions and has underfunded the collection for years).

The ordinance states that the City will increase the library’s budget as the City’s budget increases. But what about that pesky bankruptcy thing?!

Our feeling is, let the libraries head for the lifeboats — adopt the Library Fund method which the Library Board has introduced. The SAME system used by a MAJORITY of Illinois libraries (including Skokie, Arlington Heights, Highland Park and hundreds of others).

Approximately $20 out of every $1,000 on your current tax bill goes to the Evanston Public Library. We are a community that values education — let our public officials know that you support the library.

A 10% increase in the current Library budget will add:

$1.98 to a $1,000 tax bill,

approximately $6.00 to a $3,000.00 tax bill,

and $18.00 to a $9,000.00 tax bill — which is precisely $1 more than

one Ticket to the NU Paint the Town Purple Game.

Don’t let scare tactics cause us to lose our libraries.

§ Show your support for a strong library system that benefits ALL of Evanston.

§ Sign up to speak and let your Mayor, and the Council members know that you support a strong and healthy Evanston Public Library, and the Library Fund.

§ Write or call your aldermen, and let them know that you care about libraries, and you vote.

Their contact info can be found here: www.cityofevanston.org/government/city-council/

§ Send a letter to the Editor of many of our fine local media outlets: The Daily Northwestern, The Evanston Review, The Evanston Roundtable, Evanston Sentinel, or online: TribLocal, and the new Evanston Patch.

§ Ask your friends and neighbors to do the same.