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Budget committee questions library overtime and hours as a 5.4% increase is weighed
Summary
Committee members questioned library overtime and programming hours after staff and the library director trimmed overtime; an initial straw poll rejected a 5.4% increase but members indicated support if $1,640 in overtime was removed.
Ed Price, chair of the Budget Committee, led a discussion on the Fryeburg Public Library budget after staff review. Katie Haley said she and Library Director Eastman reviewed past budget-versus-actual spending and agreed to reduce the overtime line. Haley also said staff adjusted health-insurance projections for the latter half of the fiscal year, changing an earlier 12% projection to 15% to reflect calendar-year pricing.
Jim Tyrrell questioned the need for overtime at a library open 36 hours per week. Haley explained potential causes of overtime—programs, evening meetings, and administrative work done in the hours the library is closed—and said comp-time statistics informed the overtime projection. Tyrrell said he preferred shifting staff hours rather than paying overtime.
Price polled the committee on supporting the library request at a 5.4% increase; the first straw poll was 2-3 against (Price and Patrick Emery in favor). After discussion, Tyrrell, Stephen Chase and Jacob Stenger said they would support the budget if $1,640 in budgeted overtime were removed.
The committee did not take a formal final vote on the library appropriation at this meeting. Next steps identified in discussion include clarifying library hours, staffing patterns and whether overtime can be mitigated by scheduling changes.
