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Trustees debate FY27 budget lines and hiring priorities as town council process delays fund reallocation
Summary
Facing a delay in town budget timeline, Leech Library trustees discussed options for FY27 — including leaving new budget lines at zero, spending from management services with internal allocations, and next steps on hiring a part-time children's librarian and setting a hiring range for a director.
Trustees discussed the library’s FY27 budget and hiring priorities at their June 4 meeting after town finance told staff that moving bottom-line funds into new specific lines may require town council action and a public hearing.
Library Director Donna told trustees the town’s budget timeline has been delayed and that, while there is an option to move funds into new lines later, that path could require additional steps and a public hearing. As a practical alternative for FY27 she recommended leaving newly created program lines at zero and documenting expenditures out of management services with clear internal budgets for adult programming, teen programming and electronic resources so the public can still see how money was spent.
Board members pressed for clarity about a $51,000 reduction that had been removed from the library’s FY27 budget and what services that would affect. Donna said the proposed cuts would touch regular salaries, benefits and book/periodical allocations and could mean delaying a part-time children’s librarian, eliminating a limited-time museum pass in 2027 (or seeking Friends’ sponsorship), ending Hoopla in February 2027, not adding a proposed Comics Plus database and delaying a planned hire. Trustees agreed to review the options and return recommendations at the board’s first July meeting.
On hiring, trustees discussed moving forward with the part-time children’s librarian — a position voters previously approved — and setting a narrowed hiring range for the director position to contain costs. Donna said town manager Justin suggested moving forward with the children’s librarian hire and trustees asked the chair and the director to consult with the town manager and finance staff and report back with dates and a hiring-range proposal.
Trustees also asked staff to confirm whether the town would permit moving funds mid-year and to outline a clear process if council approval is required. Donna agreed to get a definitive answer from finance and to include clear recommendations at the next board meeting.
The discussion did not produce a final budget reallocation; trustees directed staff to gather firm guidance from town finance and to prepare options for a future vote.
