July 25, 2008, Cont. fron front page, Where does the money come from? Where does it go?, By Ken Rowland, Immigration requirements for foreign visitors and residents, By Jesús Ibarra

Gregory Diamant, president of the library board, recounted only a few of the many recent changes: the new online cataloging system, improved security, expanded children’s classes and scholarship programs, a new affiliation with UNAM, remodeling and improvements to the physical plant, and development of new alternative projects in all areas of the library.

According to General Manager Miguel Kegel, “The library offers a space to develop creativity, to satisfy curiosity and for reflection away from the daily routine. It offers a space to integrate different ideologies, cultures, religious beliefs and even political ideologies.” Sarah Long, director of the North Suburban Library System in Chicago, would agree with him. In a Chicago Tribune article from 2006, she remarked that “the spirit and willingness to stretch the bounds of what it means to be a library makes the Biblioteca Pública de San Miguel de Allende the library of the future.”

The Project for Public Spaces, in an article titled “How to Make Your Library Great,” put forth the statement that “to succeed today, libraries must master many different roles—some traditionally associated with libraries, some not. Their new, multi-faceted missions must be supported with great design, strong amenities, and popular programs. That’s a lot to juggle, but when everything works together, libraries become places that anchor community life and bring people together.” A 14-point recommendation noted that great libraries offer a broad mix of community services, foster communication, showcase history and information and are catalysts for community revitalization (see www.pps.org/info/newsletter/april2007/library_attributes).

Our own Biblioteca Pública strives to fulfill these tenets and has succeeded in becoming such a community anchor. However, it is an anchor in shifting sands, and its huge financial responsibility cannot be covered by its current income (see Treasurer Ken Rowland’s report following).

As the geographical and figurative heart of the community, the Biblioteca has enriched countless lives over its 50 years, but for all that it is not a “rich” organization. Unlike its counterparts in Mexico and around the world, the Biblioteca Pública receives no funding from city, state or federal governments. The library’s several financial enterprises—Atención, House and Garden Tour, La Tienda and Café and Teatro Santa Ana—unquestionably help make the library unique, but they were also born out of the necessity to generate income.

More than ever, the library needs help from the community for this “heart” to be strong. Based on disparity between operating expenses and income, the Biblioteca needs to raise one million pesos to fulfill its goals and obligations. The modest membership fee of 50 pesos per year provides only a small portion of the institution’s revenue, but it certainly helps, and residents who are not members are encouraged to join. Another means of helping the library to thrive is the newly formed Friends of the Library association, discussed in the “Community” section in an article by Ali Zerriffi, past president of the library board.

Fifty-four years ago, a few Mexican and American residents of San Miguel organized to realize a dream, a library and education center to bring together the Mexican and growing foreign populations. Fifty years ago, through the efforts of people such as Stirling Dickinson, that dream had taken enough reality to be honored by the municipality and federal government with use of a colonial building in the middle of town, still the home of the Biblioteca Pública.

A walk through the courtyard and classrooms reveals how far that dream has come, and how much we all owe to the many people over the past half-century that have given their time and resources to build a wonderful library and provide terrific opportunity for the youth of San Miguel.

In keeping with the original desire to keep all business of the Biblioteca open and transparent, a financial report is included in the reports at the monthly public meeting of the Board of Directors, and the treasurer is available for any questions. From now on, we also plan to periodically publish financial information in the Atención to be sure that the community is aware of how the library and education center fares. As we have reached the mid-point in the year, it seems an appropriate time to publish this report.

In the pie graphs below, you will find a summary of categories of income and expenses for the first half of this year, and the same for last year. Figures, in thousands of pesos are provided in the following chart. Totals from last year are given for comparison.

While the Biblioteca is in reasonable financial health at this point, we forecast a net loss for the year as we complete our becas obligations and finish the necessary infrastructure repairs.

Ken Rowland is the treasurer of the Biblioteca Pública.

		2007		January	through	June 2008
project	Income	Expenses	Net	Income	Expenses	Net

Atencion	6,011.7	3,575.5	2,436.2	3,460.7	1,940.3	1,520.4

Café	1,060.2	990.3	69.8	694.6	599.3	95.3

H&G	1,194.9	543.6	651.2	673.5	287.9	385.6

Bodega	296.6	10.5	286.1	162.9	1.7	161.2

Tienda	1,280.3	1,041.3	239.0	606.5	581.8	24.7

Teatro	736.5	539.5	197.0	412.1	299.9	112.2

membership	78.2		78.2	30.9		30.9

Donations	1,764.1**		1,764.1	146.0		146.0

Becas		777.6	(777.6)		409.5	(409.5)

Youth program		279.9	(279.9)	.4	141.9	(141.5)

Admin + Libr	70.0	3,892.8	3,107.0	22.8	1,611.6	(1,588.8)

Cen. de Com	65.0	236.7	(171.7)	21.4	127.5	(106.1)

Total	12554.5	11,887.7	666.8	6,231.4	6001.4*	230.4

	Maintenance & Infrastructure	Youth programs	Becas	Profitable enterprises	Biblioteca & Administration

Jan.-June 2 008	3.7%	2.3%	6.8%	61.2%	26%

2007	5.4%	2.4%	6.5%	56.3%	29.4%

*Does not include over 80,000 pesos outstanding for completion of electrical repairs, and taxes due June 17.

**Includes a legacy gift of 962,000 pesos

Immigration requirements for foreign visitors and residents
By Jesús Ibarra

“The Instituto Nacional de Migración [INAMI, National Immigration Institute] has a policy of making foreigners’ stays in Mexico easier, especially those from the United States, Canada and some European countries,” said Alejandro Salas, delegate of the INAMI office in San Miguel. “But we also require them to obey the immigration laws to avoid legal problems.”

Tourist status

Salas said that all foreigners who come into the country must pay an entrance tax of 237 pesos. For air travelers, this is included in the cost of the airline ticket. When a foreigner arrives in Mexico, he or she receives a form known as an FMT (folleto de migración turística) that allows a stay in the country for up to 180 days. Salas said that sometimes immigration staff members are not available at the border and foreigners enter the country without an FMT or with a bogus form given out or sold by unauthorized people. “Foreign visitors must be careful that the immigration form they receive is legal, provided only by immigration staff. If a tourist does not have an immigration form, or has lost it, he or she must come to the Institute’s office to rectify the situation. If the person has lost the form, we ask him or her to report it to the district attorney’s office (Ministerio Público).” The fee charged to replace an FMT is 476 pesos (around US$47). Tourists are not allowed to do any type of work for income
during their stay. Those traveling on business to Mexico must fill out an additional section of the FMT form.

FM3: Change of migratory status

Salas said that foreigners also must pay a fee to change their tourist status and secure an FM3. If a foreigner wants to stay in Mexico and live from his or her rental income, pension or investments (known as non-lucrative activities), he or she must prove a monthly income of at least of 250 times the minimum wage in Mexico City (52.29 pesos per day). This amount is currently about 13,000 pesos (US$1,300) per month, which can be proven by submitting the three most recent months’ bank statements at the time of applying for or renewing the FM3. “We also accept a certified document from the bank stating that the person earns sufficient income,” said Salas. “Sometimes we might ask for a translation of the document.” Receiving a first or renewing an existing FM3 currently costs 1,172 pesos (around US$117). Salas noted that if the documentation and forms submitted by the applicant do not fulfill requirements, the FM3 will be denied but that applicants are given the chance to supply the appropriate documents.

Foreigners who own property in Mexico only need to show half this monthly income, about 6,500 pesos (US$650). “So that this discount can be given, the property must be registered at the Registro Público de la Propiedad (Public Property Registry). To buy property, foreigners do not have to change immigration status; even tourists can buy property,” noted Salas.

If a foreigner who wants to obtain his or her FM3 non-lucrative status has a dependent, he or she must prove an additional monthly income equivalent to 125 times the Mexico City minimum wage for each dependent. Thus, for example, someone with one dependent would have to show a monthly income equivalent to 375 times the minimum wage, which would be almost 20,000 pesos (US$2,000).

If a person wants to change status from nonlucrative to lucrative activity (e.g., is employed by a Mexican business or owns a business here), the fee is higher (1,903 pesos, approximately US$190), but he or she is not required to prove monthly income. “What we do require is that the person be registered with Hacienda,” said Salas. Hacienda is the Mexican federal income tax authority.

The delegate said that renting out a house is a lucrative activity. “To rent out your house, you must have an FM3 with lucrative status, and you must register with Hacienda within the next 30 days,” Salas said. To registration with Hacienda, foreigners must present a valid FM3, proof of address no more than two months old and an email address.

All FM3 forms have to be renewed each year and the fees noted above are charged each time. To change types of activity (e.g., non-lucrative to lucrative), a fee of 444 pesos is charged, regardless of whether the request is granted.

Holders of FMT or FM3 documents are considered to be non-immigrants, short- or long-term, respectively.

FM2: Immigrant status

If foreigners wish to change to immigrant status they must apply for an FM2 and remain in the country for 18 months. To be approved for an FM2, the applicant must show a monthly income equivalent to 400 times the Mexico City minimum wage, which would be more than 20,000 pesos (US$2,000). The FM2 must be renewed each year; the current cost is 3,337 pesos.

“If the FM2 or FM3 expires and the holder has not applied for renewal, the fine is high,” said Salas.

All fees for immigration services can be found at the Instituto Nacional de Migración’s website: www.inami.gob.mx/pagoderechos/
catalogos/DServiciosOrdinariosDSMO.mht.

They are all established at the Ley Federal de Derechos, which can be found at www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/107.pdf.