May 8, 2023 Library Report Prepared by Mayor Karen Smythe
Trustee Kjarval, the appointed Library Liaison to the Red Hook Public Library (RHPL), joyfully welcomed the newest addition to her family in early April. I am covering her duties as Liaison for the time being.
I’d like to provide a little clarity around the relationship between the Village Board and the RHPL and the role of Library Liaison. The RHPL is legally classed as a municipal library chartered to serve the Village. The Village Board has the legal responsibility by the RHPL’s Charter of electing RHPL Board Members.
The RHPL gets its funding from the Town and the School District. Town residents voted on and passed a 414 proposition in 2011 to add $225,000 onto Town tax bills to be collected by the Town and passed on to the RHPL. That annual number remains the same today. The School District voted on and passed a Section 259 proposition in 2004 to add $25,000 onto School Tax bills to be collected by the School District and passed on to the RHPL. There have been several subsequent Section 259 proposition votes to increase the funding via the School District. It is currently at $196,400. There is a separate resolution on the School Ballot to be voted on this coming May 16th to increase this RHPL funding by an additional $12,000 to $206,400.
The Village of Red Hook does not provide any direct funding to the RHPL. However, as the RHPL is legally chartered for the Village, the library liaison role is an important part of maintaining transparency and accountability for the disbursement of tax dollars and has been a standard role assigned to a Village Board member. Trustee Kjarval was appointed to be library liaison first by former Mayor Ed Blundell in April 2021 and subsequently by me. Trustee Kjarval fulfills her role as liaison and her other roles as Trustee with integrity and respect for the Village’s accountability to its residents.
The RHPL Board of Trustees provided a written response to the Village Library Report that I read at our April 10[th] Village Board meeting. I have attached that letter to my report. The RHPL Board’s letter states that there were inaccurate and/or incomplete statements in Trustee Kjarval’s report and did not present a fair or complete picture.
Board liaison reports cover activities done, and decisions made since the previous Village Board meeting that are publicly available. The RHPL Board’s response included several updates that either provide additional information about things that happened after April 10, 2023, or that offer explanations while acknowledging the veracity of Trustee Kjarval’s statements.
One specific item, I’d like to comment on here. The characterization of the library’s past financial management is based on observation of inconsistencies including attributions of funding to and from the Village. Since the April report, I have addressed this concern directly with the Interim Manager Tieger. I would like to note however, that the March 2023 budget vs actual document prepared for the Library’s April Board Meeting still shows irregularities.
Specifically, the RHPL is selling garbage tags on behalf of the Village. Currently, the accounting for those funds do not match the actual records and receipts of the Village. I will continue to work with Interim Manager Tieger to resolve these inconsistencies.
While the Village Board is grateful for the additional information, it does not negate the April report’s statements. It is my hope that the Library Board will see these comments as opportunities to look at their processes and procedures to find areas for improvement. We all have the opportunity to make improvements.
I attended the April 20[th] Library Board meeting. The RHPL Board approved a retainer agreement for legal counsel, Robert Schofield of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, who has experience representing public libraries. He will help to ensure the RHPL Board is following proper procedures and disclosures. We all have a vested interest in following proper procedures and maintaining clear transparency when public tax dollars are being spent.
The Board discussed finding a Human Resources consultant to review their hiring process, which is subject to Civil Service law. Names were shared. This process is ongoing.
There was no report on the search for a new Library Manager. It was mentioned that per Civil Service, the Temporary Manager can stay up to 4 months.
The Policy Committee is working on many aspects of employment policies. The Committee’s report is now posted on the RHPL website under the “About” section, then Board of Trustees. It was noted that progress has been made on putting many documents online for public access. That work is ongoing.
The RHPL is an important part of the Red Hook community and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with the RHPL.