Corrine Hill watches discussion between Tom Griscom and Mai Bell Hurley
The Chattanooga Public Library Board on Tuesday voted to adopt the city's personnel policy. Officials said the library's staff is split over the move.
Corrine Hill, library executive director, also said it could have a negative effect of as much as $237,000 on the budget if all employees eligible for retirement opt to do so.
Ms. Hill also said that she has hired Richard Beeland as chief administrative officer. He was the spokesperson for Mayor Ron Littlefield and is now deputy personnel director for the city.
She said it is a lateral move as far as pay is concerned for Mr. Beeland.
There was discussion over adopting the city personnel policy, but leaving the current library system of paid leave in place. However, board member Tom Griscom said the board should "adopt the city system and then work through the problems." He said it would help "to get rid of a lot of this confusion."
Ms. Hill said she agreed, though she noted some significant differences between the personnel policies at the library and the city.
For one thing, she said, library employees will have to give up two weeks of pay and two weeks of paid vacation, but will get that back when they leave the library. She said adjustments will need to be made to get the library employees paid according to the city schedule of payments.
She said the library might be coming to the city for help with any funding gap, but she believes that may not be necessary. Ms. Hill said of the change to the city system, "This is what an auditor wanted us to do. That's pretty serious."
Officials said the library employees will still be under the library board and will not be city employees.
The library board also adopted a new set of bylaws.
Mr. Griscom questioned whether library board members have to be city of Chattanooga residents, but City Attorney Wade Hinton said that is not specified in the ordinance creating the library board as it is with the Industrial Development Board.
Attorney Hinton said a settlement has been reached with former library official Meg Backus, who recently resigned after an unfavorable audit report. He said she will receive $4,397 in pay through Oct. 5.
In a travel report, Ms. Hill said she plans to go to a meeting on digital aspects of libraries in Monterey, Ca. in November that will be paid for by an Internet firm. She said the airfare is paid by the library. She said the session is a final meeting for a library group that has held sessions at several different sites in connection with a national award she won.