Slave Lake’s mayor is vehemently objecting to suggestions that the Town is not supporting its library board like other communities its size.
Earlier this month, Library board reps asked the Town to increase its annual commitment to the board. It wondered if council would consider topping up its contribution to allow library staff to enjoy the same raises or cost-of-living adjustments as Town staff annually.
While he took pains to applaud the efforts of the volunteer “board and staff that make the library the success is it,” Ray Stern also denied suggestions that the Town contributes far less than many communities its size.
In fact, the Town contributed more than $140,000 to the library board in 2001, he says, but that information was not included in the board’s report.
The total includes an operating grant, utility payments, contribution to the Peace Library System, provision of a building, maintenance and insurance, he added.
The board’s report also alleged the Town contributes far less than other communities of comparable size, but Stern said that’s not true either.
In fact, the funding works out to $21.47 per capita by Stern’s calculations, and compares favorably to communities like Hinton which pays $24.92 per capita, Rocky Mountain House that offers $25.48 per resident, Bonnyville that pays just $15.26 and St. Paul which offers just $20.77 per resident.
In fact, of those communities, only Slave Lake (population 6,600) and Hinton – with a population of just over 9,400 — have three full time paid staff. Hinton also has three part time staff at the library, and this community two.
“The decision to provide staff with an increase in pay is purely a decision that rests with the library board with the resources they have at their disposal,” Stern continued.
And while a report in the Feb. 4 issue of The Leader quoted board representatives as saying staff have had just one raise in a decade, Stern said Town records reveal wage hikes in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, ’99 and 2002.
As well, he said, at 54 hours a week, Slave Lake has the highest hours of operation of all the communities listed in the comparison. Others range between 37 and 51 hours.
And while the board insists without an increase it might have to reduce staff or hours of operation to make ends meet, the mayor said it’s all about living within our means.
“In the provision of services to the ratepayers of Slave Lake, the greatest challenge that we face is the ability to deliver the highest level of service with the resources available to us.”

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