Howard County leaders hit the brakes on a controversial round of library staffing cuts this week, reinstating 55 support workers just days after they were told their jobs were gone. County officials and union representatives said the reversal, backed by emergency cash from the county executive’s office, keeps the positions funded through the end of the fiscal year and avoids immediate hits to day‑to‑day service.
What happened
The Howard County Library System had notified affected workers that their “on‑call” shelver jobs were being eliminated to help close a budget gap and make room for recently negotiated pay increases. Those shelver shifts typically total 10 hours or fewer per week, but staff warned that cutting them would pile extra duties onto front‑line librarians and strain programming. The change was projected to deliver significant savings as the system grappled with personnel costs, according to WMAR-2 News.
County steps in
After a wave of public criticism, County Executive Calvin Ball stepped in, and the library system brought the 55 support staffers back on the schedule, with the county supplying $90,000 to keep those positions funded through June 30. The shelver cuts were part of a broader package intended to save about $88,000 and to substitute for a discontinued HITECH initiative that had been expected to generate roughly $212,000 in savings, The Banner reported. In a statement, Ball called libraries “engines of opportunity, equity, and lifelong learning,” and AFSCME Maryland Council 3 praised him for protecting co‑workers’ jobs and honoring the union contract, according to The Banner.
Union and staff reaction
Union leaders said the original cuts blindsided shelvers and immediately raised red flags about how branches would function without them, describing an emotional scene as workers were informed their roles were disappearing. Union members and affected staff planned a rally outside the East Columbia branch during the library’s fundraising gala to turn up the pressure on decision‑makers, WMAR-2 News reported.
For now, the $90,000 infusion is a temporary fix. The county is reviewing the library system’s budget request for the fiscal year that starts July 1, and officials say the emergency funding simply buys time to sort out longer‑term choices. County and library leaders will keep weighing service levels, staffing, and budget trade‑offs as the next spending plan takes shape, while union leaders say they will be watching closely to see whether the solution holds, according to The Banner…