Library spending too much on administrators

I am writing in response to Director Ramona Burkey’s comments in the Middletown Press article of April 27, “Russell Library director responds to concerns over budget salaries.”

The director claimed that “much of what was said at the public hearing was false.” That is incorrect. I was one of the speakers at the hearing. While I did misspeak on one occasion, stating the director chose to increase the salaries when actually the city determines nonunion salary increases, everything else is accurate and can be verified.

Burkey explained that the administrative salaries are determined by the city’s executive non-bargaining agreement. “Library administrators … receive the same percentage raise in accordance with the Consumer Price Index. … The salary increase proposed in the 2022-23 budget may seem larger … because it includes last year’s increases as well. … It looks like a big jump, but that’s because it’s two years.”

What the director doesn’t share is the fact that the salaries of the six administrative positions increased by 6.25 percent, 7.9 percent, 15.5 percent and 18.8 percent, respectively.

Burkey also wanted to make clear she did not add any administrative positions. In truth, I never said she did. I simply stated that in the last five years the library added two additional administrative positions. In 2016-17, there were four administrative positions with salaries totaling $318,000. In proposed 2022-23, there are six administrative positions with salaries totaling $672,000, more than double the administrative salaries of five years earlier.

At the budget hearing on April 19, I used available budgetary facts to explain why I believe the allocation of resources was not providing good value to Middletown taxpayers. I never suggested the library was not a good community investment, rather that the taxpayers are not receiving the best value on their investment.

The facts speak for themselves. In proposed 2022-23 total administrative salaries are $672,000 and the total budget for books and the library materials is $225,000.

Again, the Russell Library is spending too much on high-paid administrative salaries compared to other comparable libraries, and those high salaries do not directly benefit the community.

Gail Thompson-Allen

Guilford

The writer is a former Russell Library employee.