Essex County grappling over library strike savings

The eight-month strike by its library workers saved Essex County $790,000 and there is expected to be some heated debate Wednesday when county councillors decide what to do with the money.

Should it go back to the communities affected or stay in county coffers?

The strike by 57 library employees that ended in early February resulted in the county not spending $790,000 it had budgeted for operating libraries in 2016, says a report by county treasurer Rob Maisonville. That money was temporarily placed in a reserve fund by a previous vote of county council.

“(The report) highlights the $790,000 that was transferred back from the library to the county,” Maisonville said. “Those funds were put in reserve for council’s future consideration.”

At least one municipality wants its portion of the savings returned.

“The county’s library strike was not the town’s library strike,” Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo said. “That money should have only ever been used for library purposes, not administration’s

purposes.”

Asked how much Amherstburg would like to see returned, DiCarlo said none of the town’s funding should have been used during the strike because that’s not what the money was allocated for.

“Our position would have been all the money that was received,” he said, but the county declined that request, arguing it first had to subtract all the costs related to the strike.

During the prolonged labour dispute, Lakeshore, Essex and Amherstburg town councils passed resolutions requesting a return of their funding.

At the end of the 231-day strike, library board chairman Richard Meloche said more than $1.3 million was saved out of the $3-million annual budget.

The library did lose about 50 per cent of its provincial funding for that period, public library operating grant money that is allocated for operating expenses, though CEO and chief librarian Robin Greenall couldn’t provide a total for the lost provincial revenues.

“I’d have to pull my financials up to have the exact number for you,” Greenall told the Star when pressed for the figure. She said she didn’t have time to do that Friday because she was short-staffed.

Asked to estimate the amount she said, “I’d be hesitant to, only in that it adds to the confusion. ”

DiCarlo said he has also asked Greenall publicly for the figure but she “didn’t have that number.”

He guesses it’s in the $100,000plus range.

“(Provincial funding) relates to library board funding and impacts upon our budget because that’s revenues that we would have anticipated to have been brought in,” Greenall said.

DiCarlo said that while library operations are funded at the county level, the town is responsible for the building. He said Amherstburg Coun. Diane Pouget has suggested the money be placed in a reserve for future maintenance of the town’s Carnegie library building.

DiCarlo said he has heard from many residents who use the library that they want their money back because they couldn’t use it during the strike.

Town administrators are checking to see whether the town has any legal claim to the money, but the mayor admits he’s not optimistic.

“We are lower tier and that is the upper tier, and the upper tier has that authority,” he said. “So, if they say we’re not reallocating those funds then I guess we’re not getting those funds. In 2018 (during the municipal election), people can make their voice clear.”