Residents press Prattville council for oversight of library board after reports of legal fees and program cuts

Several residents used the Nov. 4 Prattville City Council meeting to press for closer council oversight of the public library’s governance and budget.

"When you appoint our board members, you are sending people who represent you. Please take the time and care to send people who will be fiscally responsible and transparent," said Jackie Nicks (706 Running Brook Circle), who reviewed recent library financial reports and flagged legal expenses and reduced book purchases for children.

Nicks cited figures from the fiscal reports presented to the council: the library requested level funding of $350,000 in prior years; an additional $60,000 was appropriated for raises in the current budget cycle. She told the council the library reported a $20,000 settlement from one lawsuit and that roughly $18,233 (about 2.5% of the FY25 total reported by her) was spent on legal fees; an additional $18,000 is budgeted for legal fees in FY26, she said. "Those are dollars that could be better spent," Nicks said.

Professional librarian Jessica Hayes, who said she has worked in libraries for more than 15 years, reviewed line items and raised governance and accounting questions: she pointed to a large surplus in FY24 followed by cuts to the book budget and children’s programming in FY25 and FY26; she said the board spent about $24,000 on private audit/accounting services rather than using city or county finance staff, and she asked for clarity on where interest income sweeps are held and why the library no longer banks with River Region.

Hayes described specific programming reductions cited in budget materials: cuts of roughly $500 to TAB (teen advisory board), $1,000 to baby and pre-K programs, and about $2,000 to elementary/young-youth programming; she said children's book purchases were low relative to adult book purchases and noted that children's materials generally make up roughly two-thirds of a public library’s circulating collection.

Community members urged the council to pause any automatic approvals of library board appointments and to consider conducting direct appointments until financial and governance questions are resolved. "Please consider pausing any automatic approval of future library board appointments and do the selecting yourself," Hayes said.

Meredith Muir, who applied to serve on the library board and described professional experience in finance and archives, urged the council to vet volunteers and board candidates and to acknowledge applicant inquiries in a timely way.

What the council can do: Councilors heard the comments and were urged to request copies of detailed financial statements, audit reports and vendor invoices. Several residents said they had made formal records requests for bank and expenditure records and asked the council to review whether outside legal and audit engagements were necessary and cost-effective.

Source: Public comments and documents cited at Prattville City Council meeting, Nov. 4, 2025.