Barrie Public Library officials are showing some spine after city council got tough on their capital spending Wednesday evening.
Without public notice, council passed a direct motion that until the library board’s new financial policy is in place, that board must seek council approval for any capital expenses not previously approved by council through the city’s annual budget process.
Councillors have expressed concerns about the lack of detail in the annual library budget, especially capital spending, library reserves totalling $2.6 million and whether other capital expenses are coming down the pipe.
But Austin Mitchell, library board chairman, said Thursday he didn’t like the tone.
“I am disappointed at this motion, as well as the discussions and comments that occurred last night,” he told BarrieToday. “The (library) board, with co-operation from management, has been doing everything it can based on previous guidance — both formal motions and informal comments — provided by city council earlier in 2024.”
Mitchell said the Barrie Public Library is audited each year by the same third-party provider the City of Barrie uses. The results of this audit are provided to the city and council approves a consolidated audit.
City council also approves the annual library budget every year.
Lauren Jessop, the Barrie Public Library’s chief executive officer, said budget details are available.
“Internally, a very detailed budget is prepared by the library’s management team for board approval,” she said. “In the past, a summarized version of the budget has been provided to council. We are happy to provide a more detailed budget. Throughout the year, a detailed, up-to-date budget to actual comparison is provided at every board meeting for approval.
“Management is happy to speak to any requests for more information, at any time, from any (library board) trustee, including our council representatives (Couns. Nigussie Nigussie and Amy Courser)," she added.
Jessop also said any capital projects being considered right now are just plans.
“The board and management team are looking into the potential of updating the children's floor of the downtown library, as per the master facilities plan,” she said. “No expenditures or use of reserve funds have been approved at this time.”
Improvements to the Painswick branch in the city's south end fall into the same category.
“The Painswick refresh was also part of the master facilities plan,” Jessop said. “It was not simply a project to replace furniture, but rather a complete refresh to the layout of the library in accordance with our strategic plan based on the needs of our community.”
Coun. Gary Harvey, chairman of the city’s finance and good governance committee, said the library’s budget lacks detail, the reserve was too healthy, there were plans afoot for another furniture purchase and that the Holly branch on Essa Road had high-end appliances for library staff that he could not afford.
“Our Holly location is a small boutique library with minimal space for staff,” Jessop said. “Our six-foot-by-six-foot staff kitchen could only accommodate a narrow fridge. We ordered two options due to global supply-chain issues, knowing that only one would be kept.
“There were limited choices for a fridge this size; the one that ended up being purchased and installed was the cheaper version,” she added. “The second fridge was not received or paid for. We addressed Coun. Harvey’s concerns about this in 2022.”
Craig Millar, Barrie’s chief financial officer, has said the city contributed $9.3 million to library spending this year and that during the last five years the city has contributed an average of 92 to 93 per cent of the Barrie Public Library's annual budget. The library has a reserve of $2.6 million.
The direct motion council approved Wednesday reads:
‘That in consideration of the municipal act and the Public Libraries act, the staff in the finance department work with Barrie Public Library board to bring forward a financial policy for consideration by council that improves financial governance and oversight related to the allocation of grants and use of library reserves.
That until such a time as council approved financial policies are in effect, the library board seek city council approval for any capital expenses that had not been previously approved by city council through the annual budget process.’
