Ayer Library Clears State Funding Threshold With $625,244 FY22 Budget

AYER -- February 25, 2021, Ayer Library Trustees approved a $625,244 fiscal year 2022 operating budget, narrowly clearing the state's roughly $621,000 minimum municipal appropriation required to maintain eligibility for state library aid. The board met remotely February 25, barely reaching quorum with five of nine members present. Library Director Tim Silva said the budget reflects a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for non-union staff approved the prior week by the Select Board, and noted the figure will appear in the town's omnibus budget at the April 26 annual Town Meeting. Silva told the board he wants staff vaccinated and infection rates declining before reopening, estimating a maximum of 15 patrons at a time in the library's newer, ventilated wing; he agreed to produce a written reopening framework in the coming months. The board also authorized Silva to select a strategic planning consultant from two proposals, one from Sage Consulting Service at $4,950 and a second at a not-to-exceed $8,000, with Friends of the Library representatives to be included on the core planning committee from the start.