Litchfield councillors, mayor split over $300k decision to relocate Taminmin Community Library to Coolalinga Central
A Top End council has split over the decision to relocate its library to Coolalinga Central, a costly move that will see Humpty Doo’s only library removed. Find out why.
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The Litchfield Council has passed a motion to relocate the Taminmin Community Library to Coolalinga Central, a costly move that will see Humpty Doo’s only library removed.
According to unconfirmed minutes from the council’s March 18 meeting, the decision to move the library to a leased space at the shopping centre was approved in a divisive 4-3 resolution.
As a result, council will allocate a one-off cost of $337,000 to “facilitate the relocation and complete the fit-out of the new space”.
It was not clear if ratepayers would have to foot the bill for the relocation.
Council also approved the ongoing additional budget — rent, utilities and additional overtime — of $537,000 per year.
The decision comes after a Library Needs Study from 2017, as well as “multiple” business cases, suggested the library be relocated, a council report prepared by Litchfield Council chief executive Stephen Hoyne stated.
It also stated the relocation would “enhance … community engagement” and result in a “significant increase in library use”.
The library’s current location presented several operational limitations, according to the report, including restricted access due to school hours, limited visibility and community awareness and inconvenient location.
The report also stated the toilet facilities available to the public “do not comply with public infrastructure building regulations” as they only offer a single toilet and a “reliant on the issue of a key” from reception.
Using “the theory of social value”, which estimates about $30 in social value per library visit, the report estimated the economic impact of the expected increased library usage.
Under this theory, council projects visits to the library per year will jump to 75,000 — a 300 per cent increase from where it is now at 25,830 visits per year.
It also suggests the estimated social value post-relocation will jump to $2.3m per year, up from the current estimate social value of $774,900 per year.
The only risk raised in the report was the possibility of another opportunity to relocate not being available “for a number of years”.
“It is clear that the Taminmin Community Library should be relocated,” the report stated.
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Originally published as Litchfield councillors, mayor split over $300k decision to relocate Taminmin Community Library to Coolalinga Central
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