MY TURN: CLN trustees are intentionally eroding libraries
Pat Raffee
Friends of libraries, homeschooling parents and community leaders know that the Community Library Network is being systematically eroded. For a year, trustees Rachelle Ottosen, Tom Hanley and Tim Plass have undercut vital investments and obscured their actual spending. Their FY25 budget will further cut services, lower staffing, curb library hours and decrease material purchases, while over-spending on legal advice and insurance. Here are details:
In FY23 the collections budget (books and materials) was $452,000, which is consistent with industry standards. Trustees cut it this year and again in FY25, to $300,000. In just two years, trustees eliminated $152,000 in spending on books and materials.
Starting in October, trustees are reducing the number of days libraries are open. All libraries will be closed Sunday. Five libraries will be closed Monday; only Hayden and Post Falls will be open. Hours are being reduced every day.
By October, CLN staffing will have been reduced more than 30% in just two years. Yes, trustees plan cost-of-living raises, and some longevity increases for remaining staff. But many staffers are doing two or three jobs worth of tasks now and stress levels are high. Meanwhile, trustees have downgraded jobs to allow less-skilled new hires, prohibited staff from accessing any training provided by the American Library Association and entirely eliminated tuition reimbursement. Trustees are deliberately undermining the quality of CLN’s workforce and making it a less-appealing employer.
For decades CLN has attracted deeply skilled library directors experienced with complex library systems. The political climate caused us to lose two outstanding directors within three years. Ottosen, Plass and Hanley offered the CLN library director job to Martin Walters, who presently supervises a tiny New Hampshire town’s single library with a budget less than 10% of CLN’s. Walters starts mid-September. His salary will increase by 50% over his present pay because trustees offered him the same starting wage earned by his far more experienced predecessor.
Overpaying a less-credentialed director is like trustees hiring their inexperienced attorney. For years, CLN averaged $260 a month in legal fees. Colton Boyles has billed an average of $6,700 a month — 25 times more than CLN used to pay! His June invoice was $14,447. Trustees have paid Boyles Law more than the $47,000 budgeted for FY24 already, with three months remaining in the year. Trustees refused to consider a cap on legal bills.
Based on Boyles’ actual billings, $80,000 would be a realistic FY25 legal estimate. Trustees chose to budget $57,000, a number with no basis in fact. Trustees would rather obscure their intended spending than install legal guardrails.
The majority trustees are hiding facts about insurance costs too. For months they have talked about switching to a certain provider whose owner shares their philosophy and leads a firm with no experience insuring governments. This provider’s most recent quote was $105,000. Without obtaining revised estimates, trustees decided to budget $85,000.
How is it OK for trustees to intentionally mislead taxpayers about finances?
If you are not troubled by elected officials hiding how they use your money, then do nothing.
But if you want trustees to stop masking what they intend to spend on legal costs and insurance, tell them.
If you want your library tax dollars to go to books, programs, convenient hours and helpful librarians rather than high-priced lawyers and insurance brokers, it’s time to say so.
Email the board at https://communitylibrary.net/board/#board-contact.
The two other trustees can be more influential and would likely appreciate knowing we want them to speak up more often. New trustee Karen Campbell noticed right away how the plan to reduce hours would impact library users. Experienced trustee Vanessa Robinson has been a crucial advocate for transparency and has the legal education to help the board set reasonable guidelines on Boyles’ invoices. Both these women could influence fellow trustees toward more transparent decisions. They’re confident and articulate, but to successfully persuade the majority, they need our support.
Please attend CLN’s public hearing on the FY25 budget, 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 at the Hayden library. Everyone who wishes to comment will be heard. Yes, it may be hot that evening, yes, the room is small, and yes, parking may not be as convenient as we wish.
But to do nothing will allow CLN’s continued erosion. To me, our libraries matter enough to make a bit of an effort. I hope you agree; see you Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. in the Hayden library?
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Pat Raffee is a Post Falls resident and former Kootenai County chief deputy clerk.