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Medway, Mass., May Shut Library to Balance BudgetIn the wake of residents’ failure to override Massachusetts’ Proposition 2 1/2 tax-limitation law, the town of Medway may shut its library to balance its budget. The town’s Finance Committee recommended May 10 that the library be closed July 1, for a savings of $280,000, to offset Medway’s expected $868,600 FY 2007 deficit.The library board voted May 17 to request that selectmen place a second override measure, for $400,000, on a ballot before June 30, the last day of the fiscal year. In April voters rejected the previous attempt, for $2.5 million, the Milford Daily News reported May 18. Library Director Patrick Marshall warned that shutting the library would result in loss of state certification, which is necessary for state funding and resource sharing. He added that several librarians from nearby towns have said they would deny service to Medway residents if their library closed. Last year the library cut its staff by one-third and reduced operating hours, requiring it to get a waiver from the state to maintain certification. “I came to Medway two-and-a-half years ago, and pretty much all I’ve watched is the slow destruction of the library,” said Marshall, who recently accepted a new job as director of the Bourne (Mass.) Public Library, the Boston Globe reported May 18. Posted May 19, 2006. |
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