Residents urge voters to protect library hours and volunteer fire staffing in Avon budget debate

During the town budget meeting, several residents urged approval of the recommended budget to avoid cuts to the library and to support the volunteer fire department.

Rob Berman, treasurer of the Avon Library, described the library as a heavily used community hub and provided usage figures to underscore the point: "45,354 people attended 1,211 library programs," he said, and noted the library hosted roughly 2,960 service hours last year and that Sunday hours are among the busiest. Multiple library trustees and volunteers warned that proposed staffing reductions and cuts to weekend hours would limit access for children, seniors and community organizations and would reduce the return on the recent capital investment in the facility.

Volunteer Fire Department members and supporters told the meeting the department faces recruitment and retention challenges. James DiPace, a 51‑year member of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department, described recent mutual‑aid responses and asked the town to support retention efforts. Resident Neil Livingston asked whether approximately $240,000–$250,000 in architectural funding for a firehouse was removed from the recommended budget; Town Council Member Erin Barthel confirmed that funding did not make the cut.

Speakers emphasized that the library and volunteer fire services serve the whole community and that modest line‑item cuts could have outsized effects on access to programs and emergency readiness. Residents urged a yes vote at the May 14 referendum to preserve those services.