Bristol residents air concerns of library cuts to Town Council

The Bristol Town Council held a public meeting Monday night on the proposed 2020-21 fiscal budget — this time in a much different fashion than ever done before. 

The meeting was held over a Zoom video chat conference due to social distancing guidelines resulting from COVID-19. Town councilors, town employees and residents comprised the approximately 70 attendees. 

The meeting was an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts with the council on the $53.48 million proposed budget. No official action was taken towards finalizing a budget. The council is scheduled to vote on finalizing the budget on May 4. 

The proposed budget would raise the property tax rate from $13.72 per $1,000 assessed value to $14.07 — a 2.5 percent increase.  

Council Chairman Nathan Calouro opened the meeting by explaining how the additional adjustments that were made after the outbreak of COVID-19 were necessary to lessen the burden on taxpayers while also continuing to provide essential services to residents. 

He also noted the difficulty involved with making the additional adjustments. 

“It’s very much like a Rubik’s Cube. If you get one side with all the red, everything else doesn’t work. Every time you move, it changes a whole lot of other things.”

Among the adjustments was the decision to cut $52,056 from the budget for salaries at the Rogers Free Library. Library employees and residents questioned the decisions to make these cuts. 

“We just ask you, council members, that you consider the value the library has,” said Elizabeth Brito, chairwoman of the library’s Board of Trustees. 

Ms. Brito emphasized the important role the library will play in residents’ lives as they deal with the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it’s kind of a misnomer that everybody in Bristol is technologically gifted and has computers in their homes. We know for a fact that that is not the case and the very people who are going to be the most impacted economically are going to need to have an opportunity and a place … to improve themselves.”   

“There are a lot of people who are getting the best out of the Bristol library,” said Ardhand Mehta, a 20-year Bristol resident and library staff member.  

“It’s not only about the librarians who are working there … but it’s more for the community, more for the town, and the families who are not at that level where they can have a lot of opportunities,” she said. 

A $136,430 increase to the Recreation Department was also questioned by residents. Director Sarah Klein explained some of the additional funding would fund a part-time maintenance worker, camp counselors, and pay raises for Town Beach lifeguards. Last summer, the town had difficulty filling lifeguard positions, because the hourly pay was only around $11 an hour. The town even had to close the gate to the beach on occasion, which meant a loss of revenue. Lifeguard pay would be raised to $14 or $15 an hour, town officials said.

Members of the town council also unanimously agreed to extend the state of emergency designation through May 4. The initial designation was made on March 16.

Andrew Hart is a junior at Roger Williams University from Cheshire, Conn., majoring in communications and media studies.