by Neil Richard
The Board of Supervisors convened yet another budget work session on March 14, 2019. With the School Board backing out of the meeting earlier in the week to revisit their request for additional funding, the meeting refocused on the Smoot Library needs and the Supervisors' predicted travel expenses.
Once again, the tension between some Supervisors and the Smoot Library arose during the meeting. While Mrs. Carol Sparbel and Mrs. Dixie Lee Washington were representing the Smoot Library Board of Trustees, what wasn't seen by many present was their incredible history with King George County. Mrs. Sparbel has spent decades of her life here in King George giving back to the community, including the Smoot Library. Mrs. Washington has also served the community over the years but she never mentioned that it was her father that built the original library. I think those credentials may have added some weight to their plea for more funding for the library.
Thankfully, Sparbel and Washington presented enough evidence to prove that funding was needed for an Adult Services Librarian at the library. They said the position was created in 2014 but due to the Supervisors level funding the library they have had to leave that position unfilled. In an attempt to fill the gap of the necessary position, three part time workers were hired. When Jeff Bueche asked if Robin Tenney was able to attend the meeting, the Trustees said she was busy hosting a library function. A function that the Adult Services Librarian could have taken charge of had there been funding to hire one.
John Jenkins asked about the security and safety issue that was raised but I felt the intent of the question was lost in the muddle. Having served as a Trustee in the past, I wanted to butt in and answer that without more money to hire more people, the library would have to reduce hours. Staffing the building with one person just isn't safe.
One frightening tidbit of information that arose was that the library is dependent upon multiple sources of revenue. If the County reduces how much it spends on the library, or level funds it again this year, the state will also reduce the amount of aid it gives to Smoot. State aid accounts for roughly 18% of the library's revenue so it would have a big impact.
Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, used some drink containers to explain the question of level funding and staff raises. He said that by level funding the library last year, there was an unintended consequence. Young said that because raises were put into place for the employees, the overall pot of money the library had to spend was actually reduced. Ruby Brabo said they were never made aware of those consequences last year when they decided to level fund their budget.
Jeff Bueche asked if the library had taken on any fund raising efforts since last year. Sparbel said they had and have always done fundraising through various events. Sparbel said that a common point of misunderstanding was that some Supervisors believed the Trustees were specifically charged with fundraising for the library to the point of it being self-sufficient. She said the Trustees had scoured their documents and policies but had not found anything that said that. She asked that if any of the Supervisors could prove that and show it to them, the Trustees would be happy to take that direction from the Supervisors and proceed forward.
In having done research on the issue of merging with Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) last year, I knew I had accumulated several references and massive amounts of data on the Lewis Egerton Smoot Memorial Library. One of those resources was the original County Ordinance from October 1973 that states nothing about the Trustees being required to raise funds for the library. Additionally, the current County Code regarding the library says much the same thing. I am sure it could be argued by an attorney in either direction, but the fact that the County Code states the "trustees may receive assistance in operating the library from the state library system." It further states "All funds to be used by the trustees shall be appropriated by the board of supervisors prior to expenditure." As I see it, this means the Smoot Trustees need the Supervisors and the County for funding.
After more discussion, Sparbel said the Trustees were more than willing to continue to work providing services to the citizens of the County. The Supervisors gave their general consensus to fund the position for the library.
The Supervisors then reviewed the expenditures by category, and called attention to only a few departments that had large increases caused by vehicle or personnel requests. With the librarian position added in, and an unexpected increase in health insurance costs, the proposed increase in expenses was just over $839,000. Dr. Young cautioned that this did not include the School budget. When some of the Supervisors got a little anxious about the increase, Dr. Young assured them that the revenue side, which would be presented at a later work session, looked promising enough to have another year of a low or no tax increase.
With their minds at ease, the Supervisors then presented each of their own proposed travel expenses for the coming budget year. Below are their predicted travel expenses:
This totaled to $24,625 so they agreed to make the maximum an even $25,000. Brabo did note that the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) would reimburse King George for some of her travel. She also said that she had been asked by both groups to run for office again and asked her peers for their approval to do so. The Supervisors approved. In closing, John Jenkins asked that the Travel Policy and additional information be added to the County's website. While the policy is present, none of the exact figures have appeared yet.
The Board of Supervisors convened yet another budget work session on March 14, 2019. With the School Board backing out of the meeting earlier in the week to revisit their request for additional funding, the meeting refocused on the Smoot Library needs and the Supervisors' predicted travel expenses.
Once again, the tension between some Supervisors and the Smoot Library arose during the meeting. While Mrs. Carol Sparbel and Mrs. Dixie Lee Washington were representing the Smoot Library Board of Trustees, what wasn't seen by many present was their incredible history with King George County. Mrs. Sparbel has spent decades of her life here in King George giving back to the community, including the Smoot Library. Mrs. Washington has also served the community over the years but she never mentioned that it was her father that built the original library. I think those credentials may have added some weight to their plea for more funding for the library.
Thankfully, Sparbel and Washington presented enough evidence to prove that funding was needed for an Adult Services Librarian at the library. They said the position was created in 2014 but due to the Supervisors level funding the library they have had to leave that position unfilled. In an attempt to fill the gap of the necessary position, three part time workers were hired. When Jeff Bueche asked if Robin Tenney was able to attend the meeting, the Trustees said she was busy hosting a library function. A function that the Adult Services Librarian could have taken charge of had there been funding to hire one.
John Jenkins asked about the security and safety issue that was raised but I felt the intent of the question was lost in the muddle. Having served as a Trustee in the past, I wanted to butt in and answer that without more money to hire more people, the library would have to reduce hours. Staffing the building with one person just isn't safe.
One frightening tidbit of information that arose was that the library is dependent upon multiple sources of revenue. If the County reduces how much it spends on the library, or level funds it again this year, the state will also reduce the amount of aid it gives to Smoot. State aid accounts for roughly 18% of the library's revenue so it would have a big impact.
Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, used some drink containers to explain the question of level funding and staff raises. He said that by level funding the library last year, there was an unintended consequence. Young said that because raises were put into place for the employees, the overall pot of money the library had to spend was actually reduced. Ruby Brabo said they were never made aware of those consequences last year when they decided to level fund their budget.
Jeff Bueche asked if the library had taken on any fund raising efforts since last year. Sparbel said they had and have always done fundraising through various events. Sparbel said that a common point of misunderstanding was that some Supervisors believed the Trustees were specifically charged with fundraising for the library to the point of it being self-sufficient. She said the Trustees had scoured their documents and policies but had not found anything that said that. She asked that if any of the Supervisors could prove that and show it to them, the Trustees would be happy to take that direction from the Supervisors and proceed forward.
In having done research on the issue of merging with Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) last year, I knew I had accumulated several references and massive amounts of data on the Lewis Egerton Smoot Memorial Library. One of those resources was the original County Ordinance from October 1973 that states nothing about the Trustees being required to raise funds for the library. Additionally, the current County Code regarding the library says much the same thing. I am sure it could be argued by an attorney in either direction, but the fact that the County Code states the "trustees may receive assistance in operating the library from the state library system." It further states "All funds to be used by the trustees shall be appropriated by the board of supervisors prior to expenditure." As I see it, this means the Smoot Trustees need the Supervisors and the County for funding.
After more discussion, Sparbel said the Trustees were more than willing to continue to work providing services to the citizens of the County. The Supervisors gave their general consensus to fund the position for the library.
The Supervisors then reviewed the expenditures by category, and called attention to only a few departments that had large increases caused by vehicle or personnel requests. With the librarian position added in, and an unexpected increase in health insurance costs, the proposed increase in expenses was just over $839,000. Dr. Young cautioned that this did not include the School budget. When some of the Supervisors got a little anxious about the increase, Dr. Young assured them that the revenue side, which would be presented at a later work session, looked promising enough to have another year of a low or no tax increase.
With their minds at ease, the Supervisors then presented each of their own proposed travel expenses for the coming budget year. Below are their predicted travel expenses:
- Cathy Binder - $3,550
- Ruby Brabo - $11,775
- Jeff Bueche - $2,750
- Richard Granger - $1,800
- John Jenkins - $2,750
- Miscellaneous - $2,000
This totaled to $24,625 so they agreed to make the maximum an even $25,000. Brabo did note that the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) would reimburse King George for some of her travel. She also said that she had been asked by both groups to run for office again and asked her peers for their approval to do so. The Supervisors approved. In closing, John Jenkins asked that the Travel Policy and additional information be added to the County's website. While the policy is present, none of the exact figures have appeared yet.
 |
| Ruby Brabo's Projected Travel Spending. |
 |
| Jeff Bueche's Projected Travel Spending (he would later add $250 for a registration fee he forgot about). |
 |
| Richard Granger's Projected Travel Spending (he would forget to add the same $250 fee as Bueche). |
 |
| John Jenkins' Projected Travel Spending. |
 |
| Cathy Binder's Projected Travel Spending. |
No comments:
Post a Comment