By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
At its November meeting, the Wood County District Public Library trustees voted to increase salary and bolster the benefits package to help attract and retain employees.
The board approved sending $59,328 for raises to staff to be distributed by director based on performance. That boosts the salary line by 4.5 percent.
Also, each of the library’s 26 full-time employees will receive a $1,000 lump sum payment The 14 part-time employees will receive $500.
Board President Brian Paskvan requested these be paid before the end of the year.
“The staff has done a fantastic job,” he said. “I couldn’t be more pleased. I hear in the community how great you are. The staff does their jobs and do them well and they seem to like their jobs.”
The lump sum payments are meant to help employees cope with inflation, he said.
Of the library’s 40 employees, only 13 have been with the library for five or more years, and just over a quarter of the staff was hired in the past year, Paskvan said.
Library Director Michael Penrod and Finance director Linda Joseph received 4.5-percent increases.
The raise brings Penrod’s salary up to $101,712. The raise brings Joseph’s hourly rate up to $34.29. She works approximately 22 hours a week. They will also receive the lump sum payment.
The board also acted on the library’s insurance package.
They renewed their existing coverage with Paramount at a 20-percent increase. However, Penrod noted that last year, the cost went down about 11 percent.
They moved dental coverage to Mutual of Omaha for an 8 percent savings.
The board also approved the addition of vision insurance and life insurance.
The board also voted to offer family coverage at a 50-50 split in premiums for full-time employees.
Penrod said that the lack of a family health benefit has meant applicants have declined job the library.
The total cost of the additional benefits is $22,759 a year.
“We’ve been looking at bumping up our benefits because we need to stay competitive in this arena,” Paskvan said. “It’s been difficult for us not having these benefits. It’s difficult for us to compete.”
The board also approved a $3,339,595 operating budget for 2023. That’s an increase of 63,000, or less than 2 percent from last year. Personnel costs account for just shy of 60 percent of the budget.
The budget estimates $3,852,000 in revenues. The largest share comes from the state’s Public Library Fund. That money, paid monthly, is a 1.7 % of the state’s revenue, and the amount paid can vary depending on how the state is bringing in. He said the budgeted amount of $1,750,000 was conservative. Those revenues are “volatile,” Penrod said.
Last year, the library generated $400,000 than projected.
The library estimates bringing in $1.1 million from its levy.
The library will move $512,000 into its capital projects funds. The budget calls for spending $585,000 on capital projects this year, including $300,000 for a new heating plant, $35,000 replacing flat roofing, and $150,000 on parking lot repairs.
