North Adams Library Budgets Wage Hikes for Part-Time Staff

The library's fiscal 2016 budget will include raises for its part-time staff to bring them up to the state's minimum wage.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The library will ask for salary increases for its part-time workers.

Librarian Mindy Hackner told the trustees on Monday afternoon that she has submitted the library's preliminary budget with the wage increases included.

The salary budget has been increased to $231,000 to bring the part-time workers' wages in line with the new state minimum wage of $9 an hour. At this time, they receive $8.24 an hour.

"I just thought it was a good time to talk to the mayor about how this appears to people when there has been some very substantial raises given out in the school department especially," Hackner said, referring to recent negotiated raises totaling $29,000 for certain administrators. "We can't meet something that has been determined to be the living wage by our state."

Municipalities do not have to provide minimum wage if they feel it will risk bankrupting the city if the taxes cannot be gathered, she said. (Massachusetts must comply with federal wage laws but because the Legislature specifically detailed municipal rights in setting compensation, they may pay below the state minimum for non-contracted employees.)

Hackner said she anticipates push back on this line item because once the city raises one salary, other departments may ask for increases. She said she has a scheduled meeting with the mayor to discuss the budget.

The total proposed budget is $302,244 which Hackner said is below the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners' municipal appropriation requirement of $309,799.

The trustees endorsed Hackner's decision to increase part-time wages.

The trustees also approved to spend $1,000 on a new surveillance system to replace the now defunct system.

Hackner said there was a recent incident of theft in the library and she was unable to review the security footage.

"They really can't do anything more with it," she said. "It is very, very old; it was somewhat old when we opened in 2005."

The money would come out of the trustees' account, which Hackner said is running low.

Some trustees felt the new system could wait, but Trustee Joseph Truskowski said they should not leave the library exposed in that way. He said it would not be fair to the patrons and could open the library to potential liabilities.  

"I think we are giving ourselves some potential exposure if we don't have the security system," Truskowski said. "As a board of trustees we are now aware that we have a problem.”

Hackner said she would approach the Friends of the Library to see if it could provide some funding. She said she would talk to the mayor about possible funding and that there may be money left over in the budget later in the year to replenish the account.

Hackner said the mayor has asked all departments to provide a list of needed capital improvements on their buildings. The library's first priority is the basement foundation.

"If we lose a portion of those pillars and the central chimneys that are down there, we are going to the run the risk of having some damage to the library," she said. "It's something that people can't see and I think it is very important."

She said the next priority would be the two porches on the building that have incurred damage and need to be renovated. The third priority is lead removal in the upper floors of the library. This project may have partial funding by the historical society.

Hackner said the fourth project is the library's flat rubber roof that she is afraid will start leaking.

"We not only have a flat rubber roof with poor drainage, but we have the weight of a bunch of solar panels that aren't doing anything for us and about four feet of snow out there," Hackner said. "Something needs to be done because if it ever gives away, it is directly over reference.”

Trustee Richard Remsberg furthered discussions on serving coffee in the library. He said a lot of people showed interest in the idea.

"A lot of what people tell me is that they just want somewhere to go in the evening. There is no coffee shop downtown, and there is really nowhere to go," Remsberg said. "They want somewhere to go and read a magazine, work on a puzzle, play a game, see whose out, and just get out of the house."

Hackner liked the idea, but worried about the expense and the cleanup process.

Remsberg said he pictured the service being contracted out to perhaps someone looking to start up a small business.

The trustees felt the idea should resurface in the creation of a new strategic plan for the library.

Hackner said the new natural gas heating system has been installed and is keeping the building at the proper temperature.

"So far it is really working well. The ambient temperature of the furniture in the building is normal, and my office is even a little bit warmer than usual," Hackner said. "Everyone is very happy … I don't think we will have trouble anymore."

Originally the building was heated by a geothermal system, but the extreme cold winter temperatures made it difficult for the system to work properly. The city used funds from the $750,000 one-time state grant for capital projects to install a gas furnace to act as the primary heating source; the geothermal now works as back up. 

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