The Chelsea District Library is getting national attention for the Geek the Library program.

The library’s program is featured in a case study by OCLC, a nonprofit membership organiza-tion that provides computer-based services to libraries worldwide, detailing the library’s community collaboration and partnerships throughout the campaign.

The Geek the Library program, designed to highlight the role of a public library in a community, fea-tures community members holding a prop and supporting their “geek” or favorite thing.

The program kicked off in June with Howdy Holmes, the president and CEO of Chelsea Milling Co., also called Jiffy Mix, on posters and banners throughout town.

Participation quickly grew to fea-ture over 400 community members: seniors, city workers, local business owners, kids, teens and families.

“We were very impressed with the Chelsea District Library team’s efforts to include and engage the local community in their campaign,” said Linn Haugestad Edvardsen, program manager for Geek the Library. “They used Geek the Library as an opportunity to strengthen local partnerships while solidifying the library’s posi-tion as an important community resource.”

The Geek the Library campaign introduces the word “geek” as a verb and illustrates that everyone is passionate about something—everyone ‘geeks’ something—and whatever you ‘geek’ the public library supports it all.

Geek the Library was developed by OCLC with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Geeked! National study focuses on Chelsea library

City extends tech pact with Ann Arbor By Sean DaltonHeritage Media

The Chelsea City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to expand a contract with the City of Ann Arbor to include police depart-ment information technology.

In February 2011, the city entered into a contract for infor-mation technology services with Ann Arbor’s information tech-nology department.

Prior to this, the city had been operating information technol-ogy for city government as an internship position. The intern who held that program has since been hired by Ann Arbor.

“I thank you for the sup-port on our IT contract,” said Administrator and Finance Director Kim Garland. “That was a huge effort on everyone’s part.”

Garland said the contract has been a great success for the city and that Ann Arbor’s support during the transition from the old police department building

in the old village hall building to the newly-constructed depart-ment building next to Chelsea

State Bank on Main Street.“Ann Arbor provided critical

support throughout the transi-tion of the police to their new

building and more complex IT infrastructure,” Garland said.

Previously the county’s infor-mation technology department had handled the Chesea police needs, but Garland said the tran-sition to the new contract will be orderly.

The current contract with the county ends next fall and until them Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County information technology will share certain responsibili-ties over a transitional period.

The new contract amount is for $55,614, or a $23,000 increase over the previous year’s contract, due to the increased amount of ser-vices stipulated in the contract and an included city website redesign.

The general fund will pay for 30 percent of the contract, with police handling another 30 percent, 15 percent from the electric utility, 10 percent from wastewater, and 10 percent from

School millage goes to voters in May

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Chelsea StandardVOL. 140, NO. 5 THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 201375¢

h e r i t a g e . c o m

Printed on recycled paper

Editorial Page 6-A

Calendar Page 4-B

Death Notices Page 10-A

Sports Page 1-C

Community Page 1-B

News Tip Hotline: 475-1371

INDEX

Read a review of Jeff Daniels’ new play.

Page 5-B

INSIDEVolunteers count stone-flies in Mill Creek.

Page 1-B

COMMUNITY

Photo by Sean Dalton

Ann Arbor IT Director Paul Fulton and Chelsea City Administrator and Finance Director Kim Garland take questions Tuesday before the city

Photo courtesy of the Chelsea District Library

Howdy Holmes, president and CEO, of Chelsea Milling Co, is pictured on this Geek the Library banner outside the McKune House. This image was used the nationtal case study.

PLEASE SEE PACT/3-A

By Crystal HaydukSpecial Writer

The Chelsea School District

Board of Education approved the resolution that will allow the request for the renewal of the operating millage to be placed on the May ballot.

According to Teresa Zigman, executive director of business and operations, when Michigan voters approved Proposal A in 1994, it was established that all districts would levy a base operating millage of 18 mills. Chelsea’s millage expires within the next year, and therefore, the district is asking that voters approve a renewal.

The ballot question will have two parts: the operat-ing millage and the Headlee Override millage. The Headlee Override exists to restore any millage lost as a result of the Headlee rollback required by the 1963 Michigan Constitution and is only lev-ied to the extent necessary to reach 18 mills.

Zigman said that without the Headlee Override ensur-ing a full levy of 18 mills, the district will not receive the full foundation allowance (funding to the district based on number of students) from the State of Michigan.

PLEASE SEE MILLAGE/3-A

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