Government Spotlight

Library budget Q&A session leaves many questions unanswered

|Debra Smith|

The town manager, Brenda Fox Howard, was unable to attend the Q&A session on Monday night and there were many questions posed by community members that select board members couldn’t answer.

The board and budget committee have agreed to a figure of $102,033 for the library, which will go to a third vote on December 15th. Earlier votes had failed because many felt strongly that the library needs to be fully staffed and funded, and the proposed numbers fell short of that. Questions were primarily about the use of funds, and the hiring process.

The use of funds
Alan Gregory and several others wanted to know what will happen with unexpended funds from the period when the library was closed, assuming the budget passes this time around. Will these funds be available for the library to use for programming, or will they be absorbed back into the general fund? Board chair Karen Gilles explained that it’s a bottom-line budget and at the end of the year, any dollars unspent would go into the general fund. But, explained vice-chair Linda Chase, if there were funds being used for a project that wasn’t completed, they could roll over to the next fiscal year. With no library budget, the town has covered the pay outs to departing staff for unused vacation time, costs that will be paid back from the library budget. Tammy Donovan noted that a lot of towns are looking for staff with higher credentials, and a lot of the budget could go to higher pay for new staff.

Hiring
Colleen Strickland asked if there are town policies regarding situations like this. Is there a policy that staff can’t be rehired? Gilles noted that she’s sure the town manager has encouraged the library staff to reapply. She encouraged Strickland and others to reach out directly to the town manager, but not to expect a quick response as she is on leave til November 2nd. The town manager oversees hiring. Chase said there are many town policies on the web site, you may be able to find them there. Or you could ask Sharlene Meyers, who oversees the web site and serves as acting town manager. As for job descriptions, they were last updated in 2012 and are not on the website, but are currently being reviewed by the board and library trustees.

Linda Chase assured people that the town manager can answer these questions in her update at the select board meeting on November 9th. (There is no November 2nd meeting due to Election Day on the 3rd.)