Politics & Government

In A Tie Vote, Finance Board Says "No" To Restoring Library Funds

First motion was to restore $100,000; reduced to $75,000 which also did not pass

Supporters and employees of the Henry Carter Hull Library had to wait through two Board of Finance (BOF) meetings to hear the news they didn't want: that $100,000 cut from the library's budget would not be restored.

Due to an error in posting the Sept. 19 agenda, the BOF meeting that night was "informational only," said Chairman Bradford Sullivan. No motions could be made nor voted on.

During their Sept. 27 meeting, a motion was made by member Stephen Lillquist and seconded by Patricia Ames to appropriate $100,000 to restore the funds to the library. The appropriation, if approved, would then go to a town meeting. 

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The motion was amended from $100,000 to $75,000 and a vote was taken.  The vote resulted in three members in favor (Brad Sullivan, Stephen Lillquist and Patricia Ames) to three against the motion (Dennis Donovan, Ona Nejdl and Doug Traynor). Member Thomas Hollinger was absent that evening.

A tie vote results in a failed motion.

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In May following the defeat of the town referendum vote, the Finance Board cut $100,000 from the (at the time proposed) 2011-2012 budget. 

In a , voters soundly rejected a proposed town and school budget of $46.09 million.

After the town budget passed in its , the library board made changes to its hours, staff and services.

They reduced their operations by 14 hours, closed both weekend days this summer, cut children's services, cut the number of museum passes available to residents, and cut database services such as extra newspapers and magazines and online paid services such as Ancestry.com.

In addition, part-time workers lost hours and full-time staff members took a reduction in pay.


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