In addition to winnowing candidates for both mayor and city council seats, Westland voters will be asked to approve a millage request from the William P. Faust Public Library on the Aug. 3 primary ballot.
Officials have approved language for the ballot which asks voters for .85 of a mill for the next 10 years to fund the operation of the facility. If approved, the millage would generate about $1.4 million the first year. That funding will offset the expiration this year of the current .975 millage.
The request, according to Library Director Jennifer Roth, is for “operating funds” at the facility, items like general maintenance on the building, staffing, books, programs, and services. “This is to keep the doors open,” she said.
The library budget for next fiscal year is $3.6 million and the facility is currently operating with a staff shortage, due primarily, Roth said, to the effects of the pandemic. She said when the library reopens, she expects the seven empty positions to be filled. Roth said she and the library staff are looking forward to the reopening of the facility and a return to a full slate of programs and regular pre-COVID hours.
In addition to the library millage, Westland voters will also be asked to choose two of the five candidates seeking the mayoral seat and eight of the 13 vying for four terms on the city council.
