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Plaistow Selectmen approve library budget after director cites rising health costs and digital demand
Summary
The Plaistow Board of Selectmen voted to approve the Plaistow Public Library's $699,134 budget for 2025. Library Director Cab Vinton told the board a 17.5% repricing of the plan the library offers employees accounted for roughly half of the $28,609 increase; the library also reported large growth in digital circulation.
The Plaistow Board of Selectmen approved the Plaistow Public Library’s FY2025 budget of $699,134 at their Oct. 28 meeting.
Library Director Cab Vinton told the board the budget represents a roughly 4.3% increase from the prior year and said much of the rise is driven by employee health insurance. “The 1 plan we offer employees increased 17 a half percent,” Vinton said, adding that the repricing amounted to about $13,000 of the $28,609 total increase.
Vinton said the library’s operating costs largely flow directly into its budget and described two notable changes staff factored into the request. First, digital circulation has surged: year‑to‑date checkouts from platforms such as Hoopla and Libby are up about 30%. Second, the town custodian was moved onto the library payroll in July, which rolled his compensation into the library salaries line and affected the appearance of that line item.
The director explained the library has started to rebalance spending from physical materials to online resources and programs. “We’ve reduced the materials line by $5,000 and increased the online resources line by $2,300,” Vinton said, and added that the library offered roughly 350 programs for children and teens year‑to‑date, with notable adult programming supported in part by the Friends of the Library and grants from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Board members asked several follow‑up questions about benefits and administrative costs. Vinton said the library uses HealthTrust as a broker and described a plan that pairs higher deductibles with HRA/FSA funding to reduce premiums for the town and employees. She also noted a new bank fee line for payroll direct deposit billed at about $4 per paycheck that the library had not historically budgeted.
An unidentified Selectman moved to accept the $699,134 library appropriation and a colleague seconded the motion. The board approved the budget by voice vote.
The library’s trustees and staff offered to answer any additional questions from the public or town officials before the budget moves forward to the budget committee and annual warrant process.
