I have recently had the honor of again working with the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee for the Levittown School Board. That experience caused me to question the proposed Levittown Library Budget. A cursory reading indicated a salary increase of almost $154,000 for 40 full-time and 46 part-time employees. That’s a $1,800 raise for all employees if divided equally.
On the revenue side, it shows that $220,000 will be carried over from this year’s budget. When I questioned the administration concerning the lack of details, the director insisted I put any questions through the Freedom of Information Act process, including paying to copy any information. Her explanation for the salary increase is because the CSEA labor contract is expiring and they had to “guesstimate” what it might be.
I am not an accountant or a budget expert, but I know a budget should be reflective of and supported by documentation in order to show realistic numbers. None of that was supplied because I believe it is not there. Yes, it’s only a small increase in a $6.5 million dollar budget but in these economic times even a small increase matters. I, for one, will vote no.
Richard Snizek
