Bangor budget workshop: Library seeks to add four greeter positions to base budget amid interlibrary loan funding uncertainty

Bangor City Manager Deb Lohrey and library staff presented the Bangor Public Library budget Wednesday, saying the library proposes moving four part‑time greeter positions from ARPA funding into the library’s base budget and is running an operating carryforward rather than asking the city to repeat one‑time funding.

The library included four part‑time greeter positions in the request; Ben, a library staff member who spoke to the budget, said the positions cost $53,200 and perform crowd‑management and front‑desk duties that the library considers “mission critical.” Ben said the library will run about a $75,000 operating deficit this fiscal year so it will not seek that amount again from the city next year.

Why it matters: the greeter positions were originally funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. ARPA funds expire and the council must decide whether to absorb the ongoing expense. The library also relies on state and federal pass‑through funds for some services; staff warned a state government shutdown could suspend the MaidenCat interlibrary loan system and hamper services.

“The greeter is a kind of a euphemism for a lot of what they do, which is a lot of crowd control and misconduct management and recording and response,” Ben said, describing the front‑desk roles. Ben added that the library had preserved about $175,000 in state funding in the budget packet but that only roughly $6,000 of that is federal pass‑through money already received for the fiscal year.

Councilors asked for a line‑item breakout showing the greeter costs and the number of positions; city staff confirmed the four part‑time positions at the front entrance and provided the $53,200 cost. Councilor Dean asked whether the positions included social‑work duties; Ben and staff said the greeters are not social workers but instead perform building‑entry and behavior management tasks and limited customer assistance.

On interlibrary loans, library staff said the state librarian is seeking a supplemental appropriation, but that a state shutdown or a decision not to appropriate those funds on July 1 could stop MaidenCat statewide and interrupt interlibrary lending until the state resumes operations. The library has contingency plans but said the loss of state support would “really hurt” services.

The presentation also noted that most budget increases are driven by rising personnel costs and that the library plans to use an unspent balance from last year to limit a request to the city for ongoing operating funds.

The council did not vote on the library request at the workshop; the item remains part of the FY2026 budget deliberations.