Melanie Carden, director of the Leeds Jane Culbreth Library, requested that $200,000 be added to the library’s budget at the Leeds city council meeting Tuesday. The motion failed with only one council member, DeVoris Ragland-Pierce, approving the request.

Carden said the money was intended to be used to recover costs from the budget being cut at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Some of these items included salaries, payroll expenses, staff retirement payments, staff health insurance, new books and new supplies.

Carden said the library’s budget was cut by 60% in October 2020, which removed $300,000 from the overall funds. Because of this, staff hours and open hours were reduced. 

At the time the library was no longer able to provide as many resources as before to local families, homeschoolers and adults. Programs such as toddler story times, craft events, continuing education and adult programs were cut. The budget was never increased and the library still struggles to provide these to the community, according to Carden. 

Mayor David Miller said the library has to live within its budget, which he said it has failed to do. There was also a dispute over the amount of money actually in the library budget. Miller and other council members argued that Carden had $325,000 to still work with. However, Carden said she was actually only given $225,000.

Carden said due to being cut $300,000 and arising circumstances, this past year is the only year she’s ever gone over budget. However, Miller said “this is the year we’re dealing with.”

Carden said the library was also being supported financially by a board. In August of 2021 she and her staff were told they went over the budget and owed the city $25,000, which they were prepared to pay after buying certain necessities. In a recent invoice she received from the city, it’s now stated they instead owe $97,000.

“Nobody can tell me exactly why,” said Carden. 

Ginny Edwards, children’s director of the library, spoke to the council later in the meeting to say that following her furlough due to budget cuts, she was disappointed to see how the city was spending money on new vehicles and city personnel. 

“I give everything to my job, I have been here 12 years, and I have never felt appreciated by any of y’all ever,” said Edwards. 

Miller said the council heard the points made by attendees in favor of increasing the library budget and “we’ll be looking into it.”

Other topics discussed at the meeting included the building of the new city firetruck, which features a black and green “Green Wave” design. The council also approved the renewal of the current animal control services contract.

The next regularly scheduled Leeds City Council meeting will be March 7.