By Luke Voogt
Former councillor Ron Nelson has called for an inquiry into the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) describing it as a “monolith” of bureaucracy.
“I’m not saying we don’t need librarians because we obviously do,” he said.
“I’m just saying there’s a bit of fat at the top there that perhaps we don’t need.”
Mr Nelson issued the call following the corporation’s controversial recommendation to close Chilwell, Highton and Barwon Heads libraries.
The former councillor supported the community campaign for the three libraries, which saw Geelong’s administrators backflip on Tuesday over their original decision to close them.
“Council just gave (GRLC) another $290,000 to keep these libraries open,” he said. “Can council look after the libraries itself? That’s the question we need to ask.”
Mr Nelson said he would move for an inquiry if he again won office in Geelong’s council elections in October.
According to the GRLC’s latest annual report, the corporation paid $8,421,733 to a workforce of 96.5 full time equivalent employees.
At an average of $87,271 per employee, Mr Nelson suggested “unelected” bureaucrats “higher up” were soaking up “valuable ratepayer money”.
“Something’s not right there,” he said.
But the GRLC’s chief executive officer Patti Manolis defended the corporation “as a highly efficient model of service delivery”.
Ms Manolis earns $181,000 per year, plus superannuation and a provided car, to run Geelong’s libraries.
“We are recognised as the number one library service in the state,” she said.
“Our staff is lean and all levels of staffing are professionals with expertise in providing library and information services and programs.”
An independent assessment of the GRLC in 2016 said the corporation provided very high service levels at “an average industry cost.”
Ms Manolis said the GRLC’s service model was cost effective for the corporation’s four member councils and added that the municipalities collectively reviewed their membership every five years.
The GRLC Board recommended closing the three libraries in response “to a shortfall in proposed funding in order to maintain current service levels and opening hours,” Ms Manolis said.
Ms Manolis said she could not divulge the salaries of the corporation’s two executives as they were not senior officers.
