Trustees approve FY22 budget with 1% COLA, wipe minors' fines and adopt policy updates

At their June meeting, the St. Mary's County Library trustees voted to adopt a proposed fiscal 2022 budget that includes a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for employees and approved several administrative policy changes, including formal adoption of Maryland's law eliminating overdue fines for minors.

The board approved the budget after discussion about using $33,000 from fund balance to cover the 1% COLA and related step increases for staff. Michael Dunn, who delivered the director's report, said the county and state contributions cover a 2.5% step increase and that the 1% COLA would be paid on July 1. "I do think that our staff have shown resilience, creativity, and perseverance during the pandemic, and I strongly recommend that we consider that," Dunn said during debate on the budget. Trustees also agreed to fund additional hours to restore Sunday library service at Lexington Park, described in the meeting as "additional hours" rather than new full-time positions.

The board also approved a set of budget adjustments totaling about $47,163 to reallocate funds between lines where spending was…