Fairfield Republican RTM Caucus Supports Restoring Funding to Pequot Library

The RTM Republican Caucus announced Thursday its full support for the Pequot Library’s appeal to restore funding, according to a release from the caucus. 

The vote on restoring funding to Pequot Library will take place at the  RTM's April 22 meeting.  

The Pequot Library, located in Southport, serves all Fairfield residents as a de facto branch of our public library system and a cultural center for our town, according to the caucus. It is funded through both public and private contributions, and there is no fee to borrow its resources.

As a community partner, the Pequot Library has historically been allocated $350,000 from the Town of Fairfield’s annual budget to support a third of its yearly operating budget. The Pequot Library is financially responsible for the maintenance of its buildings and grounds.  

Five members of the Board of Finance voted earlier this month to defund the Pequot Library, despite pleas from the library's Executive Director Martha Gates Lord and town officials that this action would most likely result in the Library’s closure.  

“In difficult times, it’s more than appropriate to question the relationship between our town and the not-for-profit partners we support,” RTM Majority Leader Joe Palmer, R-4, said.

“These not-for-profit organizations should feel the same pressures and be asked the same tough questions that we ask other town departments. To single out one entity, however, and essentially force them to close their doors, is unfair and overreaching. The partnership between Fairfield and the Pequot Library has been successful for generations and to sever it during the heat of the budget is unacceptable.”  

“For every $1 Pequot receives from the town it raises over $2 from private sources,” Michael Herley, Chairman of the RTM’s Public Health and Safety Committee, R-1, added. 

“Simply put, at $350,000 per year, our allocation to Pequot is a fraction of what it costs to run a typical library, making Pequot one of the best bargains around for taxpayers.”