Douglas Library Trustees Vote to Free $8,000 for Town Transfer at Spring Special Meeting

DOUGLAS -- March 24, 2026, Douglas library trustees voted unanimously to make $8,000 in unspent personnel funds available for town transfer at the upcoming spring special town meeting, with the money expected to help the fire department avoid layoffs. The Simon Fairfield Public Library Board of Trustees approved the move at its March 24 meeting after Library Director Justin confirmed with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners that the transfer would not affect the library's Municipal Appropriation Requirement, which is calculated from the initial voted appropriation. Trustees also directed the director to obtain a cost estimate from contractor Brian LaVallee for converting the building's rear crash-bar fire exit into a usable patron entrance, a first step toward accessibility improvements the director described as "making increments rather than letting perfect be the enemy of good." The board spent considerable time on the FY27 budget, where the library's state-mandated minimum funding floor is projected to jump from roughly $380,000 to $425,000 as the last pre-expansion budget year drops from the three-year rolling average; the submitted budget stands at $410,000. Town Administrator Matt, according to the director, told him "absolutely not" when asked about cutting the library's budget further, calling the library "one of the only departments which have actually worked with the government at large to reduce our burden." Trustees reached consensus without a formal vote to hold the submitted budget.