Decide on Boundaries and Name of the District

This one can be tricky. The best option is to go as large as you can. This gives your library a larger population base which means more money. It's easier to raise the number of mills you actually need to thrive not just survive. Plus a larger area means you don't have to ask for as many mills, because each mill is worth more money. This makes taxpayers happy. When we say as large as you can we are encouraging you to include the entire county as well as other nearby counties. That's why we said this one is tricky. Including a larger area means working with other libraries and other local government officials. You will have to negotiate with the other libraries and work with them to create a district that benefits everyone. If you are willing to do this your communities will benefit greatly. You will have more money, more staff, and more time to provide library services. The downside is that you will have to give up some local control. However the changing world around us is already taking away some of the control that we once had, so it's more important to focus on what's best for Montanans. Can you offer them a stronger, better library system if you go larger?

If working with other counties and/or libraries isn't feasible for you then the district boundaries can be whatever you want them to be- as long as the property value within that area is at least $5 million. We recommend using current district boundaries such as school districts, sewer and/or fire districts. Using predetermined district boundaries makes it easier for you to explain the boundaries of your district. It also makes it easier for the county election officials and the clerk or treasurer. These individuals will assist you when you are starting your district. They will be the ones to help you determine the value of a mill in your area as well as the ones who create the election materials. If it makes sense to use the same boundaries as a school district or other type of district please do so. If it doesn't you can create whatever boundaries you want to create as long as they meet the $5 million criteria. See the North Lake County Library District map for an example of a independent public library district that used school district boundaries.

After you have decided upon your boundaries think about what you would like the district to be called. You can leave your name the same as it is currently, but this can be misleading. If you are a county library and your boundaries include the entire county then it would be okay to keep your name, but if you are a city library you should consider changing your name. This will make it clear that you are expanding your boundaries and that people outside of the city limits are welcome to use your library. Sometimes people think that a city library can only be used by city residents, so it's a good idea to change your name to reflect your true service area.

Here are the legal options available for forming a district:

Establishment

Territory that contains no library can be formed into a library district. The new district can set up its own library and provide services itself. Advantage to this method is that the new district has a great deal of control over the service it will provide. Disadvantages are that setting up a new library takes a tremendous amount of work. If there are other libraries in the area, there may be difficulties working out reciprocal arrangements.

Establishment/Contract Service

Territory that contains no library can be formed into a library district, but the new district does not provide services itself. Instead it contracts with an existing library to provide services to its residents. Advantage of this system is that the new district does not have to set up its own library. Disadvantages are that the district must negotiate a contract with a library that does provide services. This gives it less control and at times there may be major conflicts between the district and the contracting library.

Establishment/Existing Library

Territory that includes one existing city or county library can be formed into a district that serves the city or county and surrounding area. Advantages of this option are that the district does not have to set up a new library, and the district controls the services. Disadvantages in the city library scenario are that "rural" residents may feel that the city controls all of the services and that the district is a way of making rural residents pay for city services. This would not necessarily be true in the case of a county library becoming a district since all residents pay county taxes.

Establishment/City Library Combination

Territory that includes two or more city libraries can be formed into a district that includes untaxed territory that connects the cities together. Advantages of this option are that the district does not have to set up a new library, and the district controls the services. Disadvantages are that much work will be required to coordinate the services between the branches and to assure that the different communities feel that they are treated fairly.

Establishment/County Library Combination

Territory that includes two or more county libraries can be formed into a district. Advantages of this option are that the district does not have to set up a new library, and the district controls the services. Disadvantages are that the two counties must work through their different government structures and find common ground to negotiate a district. Much work will be required to coordinate services and to assure that the different communities feel that they are treated fairly.

Establishment/County-City Library Combination

Territory that includes one or more county libraries and one or more city libraries can be formed into a district. Advantages of this option are that the district does not have to set up a new library, and the district controls the services. Disadvantages are that the county and city must work through their different government structures and find common ground to negotiate a district. Much work will be required to coordinate services and to assure that the different communities feel that they are treated fairly.