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Library employees tell Jefferson County commissioners management stalled contract talks and left pages underpaid
Summary
Several Jefferson County Public Library employees told the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 9 that trustees and administration have mismanaged funds, retained expensive outside negotiators and a consultant overseas, and walked away from union bargaining, leaving page-level employees with low pay and reduced hours.
Jefferson County Public Library employees used the board’s public-comment period on Dec. 9 to accuse the library’s administration and Board of Trustees of mismanaging taxpayer funds and stalling contract negotiations with a newly formed union.
Dawn Albie, introduced on the agenda as Don Albee and identifying herself as a part-time page at the Belmar Library, said she has worked in the position for 20 years and described physical strain, reduced hours and safety incidents. “I’ve been a page for 20 years and I’m tired of the lip service,” Albie said, offering to let trustees shadow her job and leaving a packet for the board.
Amy Christiansen, who said she is a taxpayer, longtime resident and a member of the library bargaining team, alleged that trustees have repeatedly increased executive pay without documented performance reviews, hired first an attorney and later an outside negotiator to handle union talks, and continued to pay a former chief financial officer as a consultant after he moved abroad. “They’re paying a man in Finland a six-figure salary,” Christiansen said, adding that the board’s retained outside counsel and negotiator are using taxpayer funds and prolonging bargaining.
Christine Catramadas, a 15-year library employee, urged commissioners to attend the trustees’ Dec. 11 meeting and highlighted a discrepancy she said exists between the CFO’s public statements about TABOR funds and figures in the trustees’ packet: “The CFO claims $15,000,000 in TABOR funds when the board packet last time stated…$3,000,000,” Catramadas said. She said the annual report and county website will contain the final numbers.
Jill Hinn, a 25-year library employee, called the current executive director the worst she has served under and accused the Board of Trustees (which the commissioners appoint) of acting as “yes men” for administration. Hinn said the board has given large raises to some senior staff (she cited a $46,000 raise for a finance director and a $6,000 increase for another employee) while pages have been offered only modest increases. She asked the county commissioners to hold the board of trustees accountable.
None of the speakers asked the board to take an immediate formal action during the meeting; commissioners did not make a public commitment to intervene. Commissioners accepted the public comments and proceeded with the agenda.
The speakers asked the public and commissioners to attend the next library Board of Trustees meeting; speakers said trustees can change meeting venues and advised checking the trustees’ schedule for details. The union side and trustees were both referenced repeatedly; the speakers said documents they submitted and the county website contain financial details they expect will clarify disputed figures.
The board did not respond with detailed factual corrections during the public-comment period and no formal direction to staff was recorded in the meeting minutes for Dec. 9.
