Library board asks Washington County to fund long-requested assistant director post

Gary Capton, chair of the Washington County Public Library board, told supervisors the library system serves thousands daily across four branches and that the director’s duties have grown without added administrative staff. The library board asked the county to help fund an assistant director position the board said has been requested periodically since 2006.

Capton said the board can contribute $28,000 — roughly 52 percent of the requested amount — and requested the board find the remainder. He also pointed the supervisors to a packet chart that shows the monetary value of checked-out materials and services: “If these items were checked out, had not been checked out and would have been purchased, it would have cost our residents over $7,000,000,” Capton said. County staff noted the county administrator’s recommendation did not include full funding for the assistant-director slot; supervisors said they would consider the request during follow-up budget sessions.