Brandon Twp.- The beleaguered Brandon Township Library’s problems continue.
Library director JoAnn Gavey is on a two-week paid administrative leave as a fact-finding committee investigates complaints against her, while budget woes will have library employees working a week without pay this year.
The six-member library board unanimously agreed during a closed session on March 8 to place Gavey on leave while Board President Margaret Lee, Vice-President Matthew Ault and Trustee Frank Genovese investigate ‘allegations and concerns.?
‘We’re trying to find out the facts behind complaints we have had,? said Lee. She would not specify what the complaints were regarding, how many were made, nor who made them.
Concern over Gavey’s job performance came during her annual evaluation. Gavey has not had any prior complaints during the10 years she has been the Brandon Township library director, said Lee.
Paula Gauthier is acting director during Gavey’s paid leave, which will end March 24.
Lee also disclosed during an interview last week that library employees had agreed to work a week without pay this year to avoid terminations and a smaller staff.
‘We’re trying to make ends meet without getting rid of employees,? said Lee. ‘They agreed to it.?
Lee noted that the library is currently operating on 1.7 mills, because the Headlee Amendment has rolled back taxes from the 2 mills in perpetuity. The library’s expenses have escalated, she says, while taxes have not.
‘In years past, we have been cutting, cutting, cutting from the materials budget, but the largest portion of our budget is salary,? she said.
Nearly $1 million in expenditures was approved for the library’s 2006 operating budget. About half of that, $503, 052.62 is spent on salaries for six full-time and 19 part-time employees. Another $125,106 is spent on fringe benefits.
The library will save nearly $10,000 total by not paying each employee for a week. Lee says the non-paid weeks will be staggered.
‘We have to live within our means and still offer the best services we can and keep employees,? Lee says. ‘We should be fine but soon we’ll have to plan for 2007 and our amount of income isn’t tremendous. It’s overwhelming. Part of our job is funding and we need to continually look at that. We’ll be taking a close look at an override (of the Headlee Amendment.)?