A new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Town of Fort Frances and the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre (FFPLTC) board was approved during Monday evening’s council meeting.
The previous MOU came into effect over 14 years ago and required modernization of the agreement of how the town and library board collaborate to continue delivering library services to the residents of Fort Frances in the most efficient and cost-effective ways possible. Since the municipality owns the building, and the library is a separate entity operating out of municipal property, an agreement to ensure clarity in the responsibilities of both parties ensures smooth operation in the partnership.
In the report from town CAO Marcel Michaels detailing the updated MOU, the agreement is described as outlining cost-sharing arrangements for outdoor maintenance, building repairs, utilities, and capital planning of a dedicated library reserve.
“We have a great partnership between the ownership of that building and what they do there, and we’re looking to strengthen and revisit the resources and the assistance that we can provide to each other and making sure we’re on the same page,” Michaels told The Times. “It’s just really important to make sure that we’re not overlooking anything.”
“They’re spending money under Operations, which is some of the maintenance. Then some of the bigger stuff the town does because we own the building. That’s really important to clarify and make sure that the language that supports the responsibilities between one another are updated.”
The updated MOU also puts some “handshake” agreements that already existed into official writing. These include shared access to municipal facilities and vehicles.
“We were sharing the use of a town of Fort Frances vehicle with the Memorial Sports Centre,” FFPLTC CEO Nadine Cousineau said. “Now that’s in writing and gas mileage will be covered more equally.”
“Many people don’t actually realize that the library is a separate entity, and we’re governed by our own legislation. However, we have that working relationship with the municipality, and it just helps to make it run smoothly when we have this agreement in place.”
Another notable change to the MOU was to ensure a reserve fund for capital costs as a responsibility of the town as the property owner. If any major maintenance needs to be completed on the building, this reserve fund ensures that any large-scale projects are budgeted for.
“I think it’s very comprehensive and a good step forward to revamp and modernize it so that it catches up to 2026 situations,” Deputy Mayor Mike Behan said.
The new MOU has a set review date after a five-year period, ensuring that necessary updates are made in a more timely manner. This avoids another occurrence of the agreement going unreviewed for extended periods.
Although the agreement has been approved by council it still needs to be passed as a municipal bylaw during the next town council meeting on Aug. 10 before coming into effect.
