Article 6 of the fiscal 2009 warrant booklet is a request from the Library Trustees for $15,715. There has been some misunderstanding of this article. In the “pros” and “cons” included with the article, the Finance Committee has erroneously suggested our request is due to poor planning of staffing needs in the new facility. We would like to set the record straight.
For more than three years, the trustees have accurately forecasted the needs of the new library. What was not foreseen was the town’s decision to change to a paid time off (PTO) benefits policy. Previously, the town permitted employees to indefinitely accrue vacation and sick time. The library could roll forward earned time, permitting the director to maintain adequate staffing during open hours. With the new benefit system, the staff must use some or all of their PTO by the end of the year. As a result, the library will be short-staffed and unable to provide level service to the community. Article 6 asks for $10,000 to hire substitutes for absent staff, much the same way the schools hire substitutes for absent teachers.
The new library is in the heart of the school campus; within 200 yards are 1000 students. After school, many come to the library. On most school days, every seat is occupied. The Library Trustees have recently experimented with high-school-age library monitors whose job it is to remind students of library rules and policies. Our experiment has proven to be a success. Maintaining a safe environment, protecting the equipment and facility and insuring proper library decorum is essential. This solution, which represents $3,200 of the article, employs local students and provides much-needed help in an extremely cost-effective manner.
The final $2,515 of the article represents the required materials expenditure for state certification.
In considering this request, it is essential for voters to realize the library has absorbed significant increased patronage, programs, and usage. The fiscal 2009 budget is a bare-bones level-service request. Without the requested funds, services would need to be reduced. We urge voters to support Article 6 at ATM and the override on April 1.
The Library Trustees:
Roy Moffa, Charles Kronauer Ginger Kendall, Pete Jackson, Catina Hayden, Davida Bagatelle
