When my wife and I moved to Bayfield, it was encouraging to learn that our library had won "The Best Small Library in America in 2014." We were delighted about all the activities we could participate in and quickly became very active in the library.
While our own children have grown up and left the nest, it's been a pleasure to see new generations of children get involved in learning and participating in various activities offered by the library. In our community, the Pine River Library is so much more than just a library; it functions in many ways like a community center in that it offers so many programs for both children and adults.
The taxes that sustain our library have been reduced dramatically over the past couple years due to oil and gas revenues decreasing.
At the same time, Bayfield continues to grow and the demand for our library and all the programs continue to rise. Without a consistent revenue source, the library would be forced to eliminate programs. The library district has not put forward a mill levy increase since 1999.
Please vote YES on the November ballot initiative to increase the mill levy for the Library by the requested 2 mills so that we can all continue to enjoy the programs the library offers.
Michael Hawkins
Bayfield
