The Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library board of trustees approved a 2012 budget that includes $100,000 to cover costs pertaining to the departure of current library director Dave Burdick.
“The $100,000 will come from surplus funds which are built into the operating account,” Burdick said to the board. “I looked at putting together the 2012 budget from the perspective of how would I want a budget to look if I was coming in as a new director. My objective is to provide the new library director enough funds to manage the full year without any shortcomings due to my salary extending through September of 2012.”
The $1.45 million budget for 2012 includes a city millage of $585,000 and a county millage of $540,000, which is the same as the 2011 budget.
“Funds will be there for changes which the new director presents to the board, or to operate things as they are,” Burdick said. “I do feel that this is a good budget for a new person to come in on.”
In other business, the board approved the establishment of a full-time bookkeeper position.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“The position of bookkeeper needs to go from being part-time to full-time,” Burdick said to the board. “Our current part-time bookkeeper is very good at what she does. She has indicated to me that she will work full-time for $23,000 per year and she is worth it. She has been in the last two library audits and the auditor has found nothing wrong.”
The board approved the holiday schedule for 2012.
“We have included the dates for Martin Luther King Jr. Day for both 2012 and 2013 in order to make sure that in case of bad weather cancelling a board meeting the schedule will already be set,” Burdick said.
Burdick told the board that several applications for the position of library director have been received, with several weeks remaining before the application deadline.
Burdick reminded the board that the position of assistant library director remains open.
“The assistant director position is open after the death of assistant earlier this year,” Burdick said. “I didn’t want to hire a new one because I felt it was something the new director should do.”
Burdick will continue to report to work daily until March 31, 2012, and will remain on the payroll through September 2012 in lieu of payment for unused vacation and sick pay, as approved by board vote at the Sept. 27 board meeting. Under the same board vote, it was agreed that Burdick will be named executive library director upon the hiring of a new library director.