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Councilors say museum, library personnel costs crowd out operating budgets
Summary
Councilors pressed town leaders about FY26–27 budgets that they say dedicate more than 90% of museum and library allocations to staff pay and benefits, leaving limited funds for programs and operations and prompting talk of restructuring or seeking outside operators.
Councillors raised urgent concerns about the town’s proposed fiscal budgets for the Silver City Museum and the public library, saying personnel costs consume most of each agency’s funding and leave little for programs, collections and routine operations.
“More than 95 percent of the museum’s budget and more than 93% of the library’s budget are devoted to personnel costs,” said the councillor who opened the remarks during councillor comments, citing numbers in the FY26–27 proposal that showed the museum budget at $774,440 (about $741,140 for salaries and benefits) and the library budget at $723,644 with personnel costs of roughly $676,744. The councillor said those allocations left only “$33,300” for the museum and “$46,900” for library operating expenses.
Councillors said the small proposed raises under consideration would not materially improve recruitment or retention. “A 1.2% raise for somebody making $14 an hour is $6.72 a week,” the councillor said, adding that the council needs to prioritize essential services such as streets, utilities, police and fire.
The mayor said staff have met repeatedly with representatives of the Museum Society and have drafted language for a memorandum of agreement to clarify roles and limit direct Society contact with employees; the mayor described the advisory group as a conduit to the museum director rather than the manager of the collection. The mayor said he has met four times with society representatives and has prepared a “script” for negotiations and possible next steps if an agreement cannot be reached.
Some councillors said outsourcing day-to-day operations to the Museum Society, while keeping town ownership of the collection and facility, could free funds for larger pay increases for municipal employees. Others said signs of deeper financial strain—including previous overages—mean the council must consider more structural changes and focus dollars on public-safety and core services.
No final budget action on these items was taken at the meeting; the council recessed items 12d–f (which include budget adjustments) for additional review and set follow-up meetings to comply with noticing rules.
