Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Library advocates and trustees press county for more funding as staff shortages persist
Summary
Public commenters urged coordinated lobbying of county council; the library director told trustees she requested modest budget increases, including raising part-time pay to $12 an hour and asking the county to absorb the social worker salary after a grant expires in 2026.
Oconee County Library trustees and public advocates on the board’s March meeting emphasized the need for increased county funding to address staffing shortages and to sustain a part‑time social worker position.
Gordon Crane, who identified himself as a member of Community Advocates for Education (CAFE), requested coordinated lobbying of the county council to secure the “funding that the libraries need to fill the staffing positions” and invited the board and Friends groups to participate. “Our group would like to propose some form of coordinated lobbying of the council for library funding,” Crane said.
The meeting also drew a public question about possible federal funding cuts. Commenter Catherine Oakes cited an executive order she said would defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and asked how the county library would cover losses. “The IMLS only accounts for roughly point…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
