Oxford Told Libraries are Struggling Again
Oxford Town Council held its first COW — that’s the Committee-of-the-Whole — meeting for the new year tonight, and welcomed Cumberland Public Libraries Director Denise Corey to kick off the proceedings.
Corey was on-hand virtually via videoconferencing to bring council the unfortunate news that the Regional Library system is facing a funding crunch and could use some moral (and financial) support.
Corey brought councillors up to speed on the past year of the CPL’s operations, with a 59 percent increase in items borrowed, a 9.6 percent increase in the consumer price index which affects costs across the board, and a budget for 2023-2024 that stayed flat at just over $775-thousand… which in real terms leaves the library system with a deficit of some $80-thousand dollars.
Without cutbacks to staff hours at some branches, Corey says the deficit for next year would be over $100-thousand dollars.
The Oxford branch hours were recently cut from 26 hours per week to twenty.
Pugwash branch hours will be cut in February, while Parrsboro and Springhill will see those branch hours reduced in the new fiscal year beginning in April.
Corey says staffing is a challenge, with one branch losing staff due to an inability to live on the income of hours worked; in another case, the local staff member is working three jobs to make ends meet while the Cumberland library system schedules branch hours around that person.
Amherst is not seeing cuts to hours, Corey says, because the municipality has provided supplementary funding. Amherst is also asking the province to increase the province’s share of funding on the library systems’ behalf.
Oxford Mayor Greg Henley says the Town will certainly advocate for the library system with a letter of support to the province, but that any possible funding increase from the Town would be determined in budget deliberations that will take place in the next few months.
Financial matters also occupied a portion of the COW meeting, as senior accountant RuthAnn Brookings presented the state of the town coffers at 3/4 of the way through the fiscal year. Brookins says everything so far is on track to meet the budget laid out last Spring.
Oxford’s ongoing growth in housing is still paying dividends, with deed transfer taxes bringing in more money than budgeted.
Brookins also noted that efforts by staff over the past few years to clear up outstanding property tax accounts. Some of those accounts were as old as nine years out of payment, while the oldest on the books at the moment is three years’ past due. Brookins says of the current accounts outstanding, some owe very little money, while others are on payment plans to work away at the debt.
Whether there are properties that will be subject to a tax sale in the spring depends upon whether the owners are able to either clear their debts or enter into payment arrangements before the end of the fiscal year.
The remainder of the meeting dealt with department and committee reports.
Public Works continues to deal with the never-ending challenges of a beleaguered water delivery system and the seasonal challenges of salting and snow clearing.
The Oxford Volunteer Fire Department reported 165 calls for fires, medical assistance, car accidents and other incidents in the past year, with 25 of those coming in December alone.
Oxford’s Fire Station now has an operational natural gas-fuelled generator to keep the building warm and open in the event of power outages and when needed as a warming centre during emergency situations.
Oxford firefighters will be making their presence known on Thursday (January 11th) with a mutual aid training session in the downtown core. Artificial smoke will be deployed during the training exercise, with the public advised to use caution if they are in the area.
The town continues to seek volunteers from the community to serve on advisory committees. There are openings on the Accessibility Committee, which is presently analysing barriers to access and participation in the Town of Oxford, and will provide recommendations to Council for infrastructure and policy changes that will be required.
Oxford also needs a citizen representative for the All Saints Community Health Care Foundation, which meets bi-monthly in Springhill. Mileage will be paid by the town for whomever fills that vacancy. Contact the town office for more information.
The meeting wrapped up with Deputy Mayor Arnold MacDonald, who chaired the evening’s gathering, providing some clarity to Oxford residents. Noting that the Property Assessments had begun arriving in local mailboxes, MacDonald stressed that these assessments are not made by Oxford Town Council, but rather by the Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC), under authority of the province of Nova Scotia.
MacDonald said council only sets the tax rates, but has no influence on property valuation.
There has been a significant increase in property assessments this year. Anyone who disagrees with their assessment and wishes to appeal must file that paperwork by midnight on February 8th.
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