MUSKEGON, Mich. — A 10 year operational millage at Muskegon Area District Library (MADL) was passed on August 5th, allowing the library district to sustain their services for the next decade.
WATCH: Millage passes for Muskegon Area District Library; funding to sustain services for next decade
“The first year of the new millage, which will be in December of 2026, will bring in roughly $6.3 million,” said MADL Director Ron Suszek.
In a meeting Tuesday, the city of Norton Shores approved the sale of the Norton Shores building, making it the first standalone building and lot owned by MADL.
“I think it's an opportunity for MADL to take ownership, literally, in the facilities where we provide service, and look at transforming the space into something that more closely aligns to what we see in terms of community needs,” Suszek said.
A large part of MADL’s approved strategic plan, in effect for 2025 to 2028, prioritizes community needs through the library’s hours of operation. For some locations, this could mean more weekend hours, while in other locations, hours could expand either in the morning or evening.
Other plans for MADL include using the different locations as civic centers.
“So for areas that are a little bit more rural in the county, the library becomes a third space," Suszek explained. "A place that people can come, gather, interact, and see the value, not only of what literacy in the library provides, but what making connections with each other also brings to a community.”
Longtime library patron Fluarry Jackson has been making connections through MADL since he was six years old.
“Me and my dad shared memories here, and because of that, me and my children, since they were babies, have been coming here,” Jackson said.
So, continuing to invest in the library, for people like Jackson who visit weekly, means renovating the public spaces and centralizing operations in Norton Shores, following MADL's new ownership of that location.
In July, FOX17 told you about MADL's upcoming vote on the proposed 10 year operational millage.
As of August 5th, out of roughly 4,000 votes county-wide, 136 votes made the difference in passing MADL’s millage, giving Jackson and other residents a consistent space to learn and grow.
“I think it gives my kids an opportunity to grow up in a place and gain familiarity with a place that's near their community," Jackson said. "They get to build relationships here, not just with the books they read, but with the people they meet. So like me, hopefully they can grow up and bring their kids to this place.”
