Council to take up millages, library director's pay

Published Jul 25, 2012 at 3:00 pm (Updated Jul 25, 2012)

The Metro Council is considering a few costly decisions tonight that it deferred from its meeting at the end of June. The council will take up one proposal to roll forward some millage rates, and another to increase the minimum pay of the next library system director by at least $43,200. The following six taxing districts have millage rates the council is considering rolling forward: Baton Rouge Municipal Fire Salaries & Benefits, Alsen Fire Protection District No. 9, Brownsfield Fire Protection District No. 3, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection District No. 1, and Pride Fire Protection District No. 8. Increasing all millages would net roughly $790,521 more in revenue, the city-parish estimates, for about a 3.5% increase in the roughly $22.5 million annually collected. Meanwhile, the library system, which has been without a director since David Farrar resigned in December, proposes to the Metro Council to increase the next director's pay range to $115,588 and $160,000, from $72,388 to $100,202. Farrar was slated to make $89,000 this year. Acting co-director Mary Stein has said that increasing the pay range is imperative to finding qualified candidates because several library systems—large and small—advertise with similar pay ranges. The public will have a chance to weigh in on the millage hikes before the Metro Council votes on them. The meeting starts at 4 p.m. and is on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda here.