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Library director asks Cordele commission for help after health-insurance spike
Summary
The Lake Berkshire Regional Library System asked Cordele commissioners to consider extra funding after a jump in employer health-insurance costs and requested a $2-per-hour raise for part-time Carnegie Library staff; the city clarified that employee salaries are paid by the regional system and would require a direct contribution.
Hope Henderson, director of the Lake Berkshire Regional Library System, told the Cordele City Commission on Thursday that rising benefit costs are squeezing the small Carnegie Library staff and requested additional budget support so the regional system can raise part-time wages and cover soaring insurance premiums.
Henderson said the library’s insurance portion "jumped from $13,000 per year per full time employee to $23,000 per year per full time employee," and asked the commission to consider an increase that would also allow the library to give part-time circulation staff a $2-an-hour raise. She identified Adrienne Slocum as the Carnegie Library’s only full-time employee and described the part-time staff as essential to library operations and community services.
City staff clarified that under a 1999 intergovernmental agreement the city is responsible for building maintenance and utilities but not employee pay; the library employees are paid through the regional library system. That means, staff said, the city would need to provide a lump-sum contribution to the regional system if it wanted the funds to be distributed toward salaries and benefits.
Henderson said she is seeking support from all funding partners and had reached out to state contacts for grant opportunities. Commissioners asked for additional detail on how any city contribution would be tracked and spent; Henderson offered to provide budget details and to return with a clearer breakdown of how an increase to the city’s library fund would translate into raises for local staff.
No formal funding decision was made at the meeting; commissioners acknowledged the request and asked staff to explore options — including a possible lump-sum contribution to the regional library system and whether state or legislative funds might be available.
Key facts and clarifications - Henderson said only one Cordele library employee is full time and on the state health benefit plan (named in the transcript as Adrienne Slocum). - The city provides building, maintenance and utilities under the regional intergovernmental agreement; salaries are paid by the Lake Berkshire Regional Library System. - The library fund in the proposed FY27 budget was noted to have increased about 14% year over year (from roughly $194,000 to over $220,000) to accommodate operating cost changes.
What’s next: Henderson agreed to produce a more detailed budget breakdown showing how additional city funding would be applied. Commissioners said they would consider the request as part of upcoming budget deliberations.
