Morris City library director returns after 20-day suspension amid dispute over library purchases

City Manager Rebecca Shaw testified at a Morris City Loudermill hearing that she recommended termination for Library Director Ann Barber after an independent investigation found what she described as misuse of public funds, but the City Council instead approved a 20-day unpaid suspension that Barber served and after which she returned to work on April 28.

Shaw said the concerns began when she and the finance director reviewed invoice procedures and found the library board was not approving invoices prior to payment. "There are a lot of red flags," she told the hearing, citing sample charges for Audible, AMC Plus and Amazon Prime rentals that the library chair and others did not recognize as authorized library subscriptions. Shaw said the city engaged an outside investigator and, "by state statute," reported the matter to law enforcement and the state auditor's office.

Shaw described efforts to obtain the library Amazon account credentials. She said Barber initially declined to provide a username and password until consulting counsel and that the refusal prompted placing Barber on paid administrative leave to protect the integrity of the inquiry. Shaw told the panel she "recommended termination because an outside independent investigator stated that there was misuse of funds," and that termination was…