The next Carnegie Public Library director will be offered $65,000 a year, the haggling over who will be chairman continued and pay raises were discussed at a special called meeting of the library board Tuesday night.
The board gave interim library director Mary Caradine permission to advertise for a new director at the regular meeting in September. The board followed by approving the proposed salary of $65,000 a year at a special called meeting Tuesday night.
“We need somebody with the experience and knowhow,” Caradine said.
The board later went into executive session to discuss pending litigation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from a former director and potential litigation on unemployment from a previous director.
Floyd Council resigned as director in April and JoAnn Blue resigned months before that in 2020.
Board attorney Ted Connell discussed the litigation matters with the board in executive session. Connell was not allowed to be part of the Zoom call prior to executive session because President Shelia Winters said he charges by the hour.
“No action was taken in executive session,” said Connell following executive session.
Electing board officers and finances also highlighted discussion during the meeting.
The upcoming fiscal year begins in October so the board officers were addressed. The board voted on positions everyone agreed were open.
Jacqueline Tyler was unanimously elected board vice president from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2023. Joyce Hill was elected board secretary for the same time period.
Tyler is the outgoing secretary while board member Nancy Foley is the outgoing vice president.
Shelia Winters is still the board president as no vote was taken on the matter. However, there was much debate on whether or not Winters was eligible to continue holding the office.
Winters addressed bylaws from 2008 and 2020 as well as meeting minutes from Nov. 6, 2018 and Oct. 25, 2019.
Winters said Article 6 bylaws state officers should be elected at an annual meeting in September and take over October. She added in the event an officer leaves before the term, the replacement is elected to serve the remainder of term.
Winter’s interpretation of the bylaws has not been spoken to publically by counsel.
Winters was board vice president and finished the term after chairperson Elizabeth Gibbons resigned.
“The replacement officer should be eligible for the election of the following full term,” Winters said.
Winters said when any office is vacated, the replacement officer should serve the following term.
She said she was elected vice chair Nov. 6, 2018.
After Winters became chair, Coahoma County Board of Supervisors member Johnny Newson reappointed her to the board. She said she was officially and retroactively re-elected as chair Oct. 25, 2019 as she had been serving in the position.
Winters said the board did not have elections in 2020 with everything that had been going on.
“Therefore, a whole year has passed,” Winters said. “I was the next person to move up to board chair based on the bylaws and these minutes.”
Caradine was board secretary at one point. Now, she is the interim director.
“I do feel like we need to elect a secretary/treasurer because I was only finishing Mary Caradine’s term,” Tyler said.
Foley said when Winters was reappointed to the board July 1, 2019, she was ineligible for reelection as board chair.
“Just because I served out Elizabeth’s term, that does not forfeit me from serving my term as board chair,” Winters said.
As discussion went back and forth, board member Rita Hanfor asked, “Are we going to have an election or not?”
“We’re going to have an election right about now,” Winters replied.
Financial issues ranged from funds Coahoma County and the city of Clarksdale are allocating to the Carnegie Public Library to salaries.
A budget for the upcoming fiscal year is expected to be voted on during the October meeting.
The board expected the Board of Supervisors to allocate $269,295.96 and budgeted accordingly. As of now, only $87,355.24 has been allocated.
“We are slated to receive $181,000 more,” said Winters, adding she does not know if the county will give the money.
“The city and the county send us the money as the money comes in.”
The city of Clarksdale allocated $244,952.10 to the library. Just $230,552.90 was budgeted for.
“You can see where the city has overpaid, which is good,” said board accountant Dena Upchurch.
Hill said the library cannot make the Supervisors give the money and raised the possibility that the County made cuts.
“That’s probably a question we need to pose to the board of supervisors to see where they are,” Winters said.
Hanfor said the money is not usually allocated in a lump sum.
“They spread it out,” she said.
“What they do for the new budget is where your reduction comes in.”
Upchurch said the actual numbers are what the board is working with.
“This is the budget that we’re working with right now, the current budget,” she said. “The actual is what we’ve received.”
Caradine said how much the County receives in ad valorem taxes can determine the amount it has to allocate.
“People don’t pay their taxes on time,” Caradine said. “That’s why the money comes so slow.”
Board member Christopher Coleman addressed the issue of library staff pay. It was a heavy item of discussion at the regular September meeting.
Administrative assistant Carrie L. Peggs, technical services head Courtney W. Shaffer and circulation head Janice D. Williams all received five percent raises and an additional one-time $500.
“It had to be spread over the 24 pay periods,” said Upchurch of the $500.
She said September 30 is the 24th pay period.
Peggs and Williams received an extra $20.83 on each check while Shaffer received an extra $29.17.
After much confusion, Upchurch said employees’ salaries would not be cut.
“I hope that was explained to the employees,” Foley said.
Winters emphasized there would not be any pay cuts.
“We’re not taking any money from any employees,” Winters said. “We’re not cutting any salaries for any employees.”
Foley said she was glad the misunderstanding was clarified.
“It went all the way to Jackson that misunderstanding,” Winters replied.
Upchurch explained the five percent raise will stand.
“After that, it’s just a five percent raise for these three individuals,” Upchurch said.
“It wasn’t a mistake. That’s how it had to be calculated to get the other money in there.”
Tyler said board members talked about how there was a mistake at the previous meeting.
“You guys stated last meeting that three peoples’ salaries was wrong,” Tyler said.
”Looks as though the three people had been overpaid,” Winters replied.
”That’s the same thing,” said Tyler in response.
“It was confusing with how I had to enter it into the system,” said Upchurch in an attempt to clarify.
“There was no mistake. It was done oddly.”
There were still typographical errors on the spreadsheet with salaries.
“I will fix the sheet and we will address it at the next board meeting,” Upchurch said.
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