Trustees back plan on libraries
Wellesley's Board of Library Trustees has endorsed a phased-in plan to turn over funding of the branch libraries to donors.
But the trustees say the plan's success hinges on voters showing their support by passing a tax override earmarked for the library.
The branches survived last year's budget cuts thanks to a fund-raising campaign. They would be forced to close sometime after July 1 unless the town comes up with more than $80,000 to pay salaries and benefits for another year.
Trustees Monday agreed to shift more than $26,000 from the budget for the main library, provided the town comes up with the remainder.
They unanimously backed a citizens' group proposal that over five years would eliminate taxpayer support for the Fells and Hills branches, except costs related to upkeep.
In a town with an average tax bill of about $8,200, trustee Mary Ann Cluggish said, the money needed to keep libraries operating this year was a drop in the bucket -- around $7 per taxpayer. ''It's two lattes, one paperback book," she said.
Trustees said they would hire professional fund-raisers to garner the money needed to operate the branches, which account for about 5 percent of both the library system budget and of circulation.
Marla Robinson, trustees chairwoman, was expected to discuss the plan with the Advisory Committee last night, after Globe West went to press.
The town is facing more than a $4 million shortfall for the budget year that starts July 1. Selectmen are expected to vote Tuesday on a Proposition 2 1/2 override and a debt exclusion. The selectmen's recommendation would go before Town Meeting, which begins March 27. An override permanently raises the amount of money the town can collect in taxes; a debt exclusion expires as soon as a designated project, such as a school building, is paid off.
Selectmen, as they did last year, could place several override questions on the ballot.
Robinson and other trustees said they favor making the branch issue a stand-alone question as a way of gauging public support.
''There are a lot of people in town who would like to get to have a voice," Robinson said.
Kathan Tracy, who joined the board after the March 7 election, said a mandate from the voters would be critical to swaying potential donors.
