The chair of Meaford Public Library board says he’s still waiting to hear from the head of the Owen Sound North Grey Union Public Library about the possibility of signing a new contract between the two libraries.
Chairman Peter Bantock says contract discussions between Meaford library’s negotiating committee their counterparts from Owen Sound have been going on for several months.
The most recent meeting between the two negotiating committees took place November 10 and negotiations are continuing.
Meaford Public Library has told Owen Sound library it is cancelling the present contract as of December 31.
The library is now informing Meaford patrons they will no longer be able to use their cards at the Owen Sound library as of December 12.
Bantock says the present contract allows only Sydenham-area residents to use Owen Sound North Grey Union Library.
Residents from the rest of the Municipality cannot do so.
The present contract was first signed in 2000 and re-signed in 2011.
It calls for the Municipality to pay more than $100,000 a year. This year, Meaford paid $118,000.
The contract Meaford Library would like to sign calls for the Municipality to pay $116,000 a year to Owen Sound and at a fixed rate.
Richard Thomas is the chair of Owen Sound library. He says Meaford’s proposal is unreasonably low.
He points out that Meaford wants all its residents to have access to Owen Sound library for less than it was paying for Sydenham residents.