SAUGUS — The Library Board of Trustees reviewed the budget for Fiscal Year 27, discussing salaries and other costs and changes.
“The salary numbers are, of course, all predicated by who’s here, how long they’ve been here, and what the salary schedule is in the collective bargaining agreement since everybody on staff, with myself as the exception, are members of that collective bargaining agreement,” Library Director Alan Thibeault said.
The salaries typically take up 70-80% of the budget.
Thibeault said the cost of NOBLE, North Of Boston Library Exchange, is going up by about $1,400.
He said that there were not many changes in the budget and that a majority of the changes will be seen in the technology line.
“Each year, we try to replace four personal computers in the building… Everything keeps going faster and faster, and you find after about five or six years the older machines just can’t keep up,” he said.
Thibeault said the library is asking for almost $2,800 this year for these upgrades. He continued that the library buys them through NOBLE, as it get savings on Dell computers.
Another line that changes is the Other Supplies Books line.
“We’re required to spend an amount of money equal to 13% of the municipal appropriation this year on materials, books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, data bases, all the things that we provide for out patrons to use. So this line would have to be set according to that 13% figure after everything else is put in,” he said.
Thibeault estimated that to be a total of $122,461, combining the books line and publication line.
“Overall increase in the budget comes out to 5.85%. Most of that increases in the salary line. That’s what we’re going to be asking for this year,” he said.
For the library to be certified every year, it must meet the threshold called the Municipal Appropriation Requirement, which states that the library must have a budget that equals an average of the last three years’ budgets multiplied by two and a half; this is a rule set by the state on property taxes.
“Our Municipal Appropriation Requirement this year calculated out to $864.214. This budget of $942,007 will meet that, so this budget should keep us compliant, and we’ll be able to be certified again, and I think it will also allow us to fulfill our mission for the next fiscal year,” he said.
The Board will vote on the budget at its Jan. 8, 2026 meeting.
