Wayne County commissioners deadlock on Mount Olive Steel Memorial Library utility payments; refer MOUs to facilities committee

Commissioner Antonio Williams renewed a request June 17 that the county assume the Mount Olive Steel Memorial Library’s full utility costs, saying the branch serves county residents beyond Mount Olive and should be funded as other county library branches are.

Williams said the county already pays utilities for the Goldsboro branch and asked the board to treat Mount Olive “the same support” to preserve hours and services. Mount Olive Mayor Newton and members of the public urged relief for the town, citing the library’s regional use and prior town contributions toward renovation.

Angie Boswell, Wayne County finance director, told commissioners the average electrical bill for the library over the past 12 months was $3,100 and that the most recent bill paid by the county was about $2,500. She also confirmed the town had agreed in an earlier agreement dated July 1, 2015, to pay $1,500 per month toward the electric bill and to continue covering water and sewer for the site.

Commissioners discussed the library’s history. County Manager Chip Crompler and other commissioners said the county did not originally build the renovated facility but spent roughly $2 million rehabilitating the site after the county took responsibility for branch operations. Commissioners noted the building includes meeting spaces and community uses beyond traditional library services.

After debate, a motion to maintain the current MOU and the $1,500 monthly arrangement failed on a 3-3 vote. The board then voted to refer “this MOU and all other library MOUs” to the Facilities Committee for review; the committee was asked to return recommendations and to provide comparative data on utilities and library usage for all county branches.

What changed and what’s next: the failed motion leaves the 2015 agreement’s terms in place for now, but the Facilities Committee will review the memoranda of understanding, compile usage and utility-cost data (the board requested past 12 months of utility bills and usage statistics), and report back with recommendations. Commissioners asked staff to provide: the Mount Olive library’s recent invoices, average monthly electrical cost ($3,100 reported by finance staff), the town’s historical contribution ($1,000 earlier, increased to $1,500 on 7/1/2015 per the MOU), and comparative utility costs for other branch locations.

Why it matters: Commissioners cited fairness across the county for branches that serve residents from multiple towns and noted that the county funds other library services but that libraries are not a mandated county service. The Facilities Committee review is intended to produce options and cost data before the board considers any amendment to existing agreements.

Quotes (selected): "The average over the past 12 months just for electrical was 3,100," Angie Boswell, finance director, said when commissioners asked about monthly costs.

"We have to provide services," Commissioner Antonio Williams said, arguing the county should maintain consistent funding across branches.

"If the town of Mount Olive draws people from across the county to that library, that still helps this county," Commissioner Garland said during debate.

Ending: The Facilities Committee will review the Mount Olive agreement and other library MOUs and return recommendations and requested data to the full board. No change to the existing memorandum of understanding was adopted at the June 17 meeting.