Government briefs
Lincoln County
Library updates
At the Lincoln County Commissioners May 15 meeting, Alyssa Ramirez, director of Lincoln County Libraries, discussed the library’s strategic plan for the next five years.
The current tax levy for the library barely covers staff salaries, let alone any other costs, Ramirez said. The library anticipates looking at pursuing a higher levy around 2022.
“I feel like we need a couple years to establish the library and what we do and what we’re about,” she said.
Ramirez said the library board wants to promote library services to the community, such as with a campaign to encourage residents to get a library card.
The library is also looking at revitalizing its foundation as a fundraising source, and exploring grant opportunities, she said. Currently, the foundation does not actively campaign for additional contributions.
Ramirez said the library also needs to look at its capital improvement plan for paying for items such as copiers, computers and the vehicle that the library uses to transfer books between libraries.
An archtect who is related to a library board’s member has volunteered to look at the Libby and Eureka branches and discuss ways to improve their layout, Ramirez said.
She said that the libraries also want to maintain and improve services, such as by updating how they manage their collection to use employee time more efficiently.
Effective use of staff time is further complicated by library staffing numbers.
The Troy and Eureka branches each have one librarian who does all the work there. The Libby branch has five staff members, but one is a high school intern.
Troy City
Cleaning up Troy
At their Wednesday work meeting, the Troy City Council discussed existing city ordinances and their enforcement regarding property upkeep.
Troy Mayor Dallas Carr told the council that he has sent out letters reminding residents of their responsibilities regarding garbage, junk vehicles and other issues that fall under “public nuisance” in the city’s ordinance.
“We’ve worked with people, a lot of people have done it — they’ve helped out — but there’s still the usual ones that aren’t,” Carr said.
The general penalty under Troy’s city ordinance for misdemeanor violations — which include some items such as junk vehicles — include up to a $500 fine or up to six months in jail.
Carr said that the provisions for addressing the problem exist in city ordinance, and the question for the council is whether or not to enforce it.
“I don’t want to see anybody get fined, but if they don’t abide or they don’t care, what do we do?” Carr said.
Council member T.J. Boswell stressed the importance that any enforcement be equally distributed.
“Because if you’re going to do it, you have to do it to everybody in town,” Boswell said.
Council member Chuck Ekstedt said that he wanted to be sure any pictures taken as evidence were done from the street. Enforcement should be about what is in the public view, and personal privacy should not be violated.
After discussion, the council agreed that anyone sent letters in the past should receive one additional letter outlining the possible penalties if they do not comply.
Troy police
At their Wednesday work meeting, the Troy City Council discussed offering additional pay for officers who have received additional certifications.
Troy Mayor Dallas Carr said there was a request from Troy Police Chief Katie Davis for officers with certifications to receive raises based on those certifications.
Carr said that for each stage of the three levels of certification, an officer would receive an additional $0.50 an hour.
City Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Rebo said officers would have to receive training and certifications during their time on the Troy Police Department.
Council member Chuck Ekstedt said that it seemed like a good incentive for officers to get their training.
After discussion of the years an officer would have to be on the Troy Police Department and training they would have to go through in order to reach the increased pay levels, the council had no objections to the idea.