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Library budget sparks debate at North Berwick budget committee
Summary
Board members and the town manager described a contentious budget-committee debate over the library’s proposed book purchases and wage increases; the committee recorded a 7–3–1 vote in favor of the library allocation. Manager defended wage adjustments based on a Maine Library Association study.
Members of the Select Board discussed a notably contentious review of the library budget that occurred at the budget committee level.
The town manager told the board that the budget committee’s later meeting was "very eventful," with four committee members objecting to the library budget largely on two grounds: higher wage increases and the size of the books line. The manager said the committee’s vote on the library was "7 3 1," which she described as seven in favor, three opposed and one abstention.
On wages, the manager said the library used a wage study prepared by the Maine Library Association and that the library’s two full‑time positions work 36 hours per week. She gave example ranges discussed in committee: the head librarian’s hourly rate was described moving from about $34 to $36 and a children’s librarian from $20 to $25; part-time positions ranged from roughly $18 to $25 per hour. The manager said some committee questions challenged the librarians’ qualifications, which she said was not the committee's purview.
The manager emphasized that the town’s library expenditures are small relative to the total budget. "It's $5,000 on the 7,800,000 budget," she said, noting that the line for books is $20,500 and that past budgets had been higher (about $25,000 five years ago).
Board members discussed that some concerns about book purchases had not been raised in earlier departmental reviews because departments were reviewed on separate nights, and the library night is when those issues surfaced.
The board did not alter the proposed library appropriation during the meeting; the manager said the matter will proceed to town meeting where voters will consider the warrant.
