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Library trustees warn new Middletown library could open short-staffed without added operating dollars
Summary
Library trustees and the director told the council the new library (about 2.5x the current space) will require phased staffing and higher operating lines for materials and programming; trustees requested modest phased hires and asked council to restore a small cut to non‑salary library service lines.
Library trustees and the library director appealed to the council for additional operating support to open and run the town's new library building as designed. Trustees said the new facility is roughly 2.5 times larger and will have about 20 bookable spaces that require scheduling, supervision and supplies.
Trustee Joan (representing the library board) said the trustees had scaled staffing requests after earlier discussions with town staff and are asking to phase in a full-time teen librarian and a part‑time administrative/finance assistant. "These are not optional enhancements; they are essential to operating the new building as defined," she said. The trustees plan to phase the hires so the administrative/finance assistant could start in July 2026 and the teen librarian would be phased in as patron demand grows.
Library leaders also asked the council to group and restore $9,000 in direct-service line items (books, digital resources, small equipment) that the administration had adjusted under a 4% line-item cap. They proposed applying a cap to the grouped category instead of to many modest individual line items so staff can reallocate across materials and programs as demand develops.
Town finance staff said the administration had included contingency funds for utilities and asked the trustees to work with town staff on final allocations; the administration noted a funded position in the town administrator's budget that could be assigned to the library if the trustees and town agree on timing and duties. Trustees said they would prefer to hire a dedicated custodian (estimated as more cost-effective than expanding contracted custodial coverage for the larger building) and calculate building‑operations costs that the town's cost-allocation model will ultimately distribute among town, school and enterprise funds.
If the council does not restore the requested operating support, trustees warned the library could have to limit open spaces, reduce program capacity or alter hours during the first year of operation.
Next steps: trustees and administration will continue a line-item reconciliation, and the council asked staff to clarify whether the town-administered contingency and the funded position could be used to support initial library operations.
