Five counties recently received bills from the Brown County Library because of a law passed back in 2006 that allows libraries to charge people that don't already pay a library tax.

When a bill from the Brown County Library for almost 98-thousand dollars landed on Ed Dorner's desk, the Kewaunee County administrator didn't know what to think.

Said Dorner, "It's sort of an unexpected cost, was the amount what we thought it would be? It's pretty high."

Dorner says the county will only have to pay $68,404.00 of the total bill. That money will be divided and paid by the 14,000 residents who don't currently pay a library tax.

People in the city of Algoma and Kewaunee would be exempt. The exact amount each household will pay, Dorner couldn't say.

"When you get a $68,000 increase in a small county like this, it will have an impact on the tax rate, on the tax levy itself that people will see on the bills they get this fall."

Four other counties received bills from the Brown County Library:

Oconto County - $125,000.00

Outagamie County - $47,000.00...

And Manitowoc County about $22,000.00

Lynn Stainbrook, Brown County Library Director, "Quite frankly, it's unfair to expect the Brown County taxpayer to pay for library services that others are taking advantage of and not having to pay for."

The reason that the Brown County Library is now billing the counties is because of new technology that allows them to track people's usage.

They are charging specifically on how many items residents check out.

These bills are from 2011, which the library says was its busiest year ever.