The Livingston Parish Library Board of Control unanimously appointed Scott Kleinpeter as permanent library director during its Sept. 15 meeting, which also included a review of the library system’s finances and votes on two policy amendments.
Library board names new director
The board spent much of the meeting discussing the appointment of a permanent library director.
“[The Hiring Committee] met for about twenty minutes and said, ‘You know what, let’s deal with Scott.’ It’s just that easy,” board member Trey Cowell said. “We felt like most people wanted to deal with Scott first, and if that don’t work out, we’ll go from there.”
Kleinpeter, who has served as interim library director since March, received praise from board members and audience members for his work and dedication to the library and its staff.
After returning from executive session, the board voted unanimously to hire Kleinpeter as permanent library director, effective immediately, with a starting salary of $93,681.63. Kleinpeter then addressed the board and audience.
“Fourteen years ago, when I was working at the reference desk … I had come here from Walker High School Library and then Sims Memorial Library after that,” Kleinpeter said.
“I felt tremendous pride because … I was taking part in the educational work of the parish where I grew up,” Kleinpeter added. “The library’s mission is to help others find what they are looking for … and tonight I am being entrusted with that mission.”
“I am grateful for the trust that the board is placing in me, and I do not take that trust lightly. I’ve served this library in many roles, and I take this one on with a clear understanding of what is asked from me,” Kleinpeter concluded.
Library director’s financial report
The board then heard a presentation from Kleinpeter covering an initial draft of the 2027 budget, proposed amendments to the 2026 budget, library statistics, and summer reading program participation.
The financial report covered January through July. The library had received $6,846,624.23, or 90.49% of its projected annual income of $7,565,784.04.
“Salary and wages are on pace,” Kleinpeter said.
The library had spent $1,869,891.86, or 55.34% of its projected $3,378,944.85 budget for salaries and wages.
Total expenses through July were at 55% of the projected annual budget, which Kleinpeter said was “a good place to be” for that point in the year.
Kleinpeter recommended increasing the security budget by $1,500.
“We have had to recently hire a deputy for a detail at Denham just because of a recent uptick in incidents with having to call the police,” he said.
The deputy will be present only during the evenings, working approximately four hours from 5 p.m. until closing. Kleinpeter cited reduced staffing levels at night, increased anxiety among patrons, and several incidents involving a banned individual.
Kleinpeter also recommended increasing the budget for the library’s Readers Club by $500 because registrations increased by 28% and completed reading challenges increased by 106%.
The “biggest difference” in the 2027 budget, Kleinpeter said, will be the inclusion of the 8.2-mill property tax rate adopted at a previous Library Board meeting.
The library expects to receive approximately $8.1 million annually from the 8.2-mill rate. Much of that revenue “will be allocated to salaries and wages,” Kleinpeter said, including pay scale and cost-of-living adjustments for staff members. Employees are expected to receive a 3% increase.
Although the library held 38 fewer adult events this year than in 2025, attendance at adult events increased by 4,584. The library held 15 more youth events, with attendance increasing by 9,508, and 46 more young adult events, with attendance increasing by 3,356.
The summer reading program received a record-breaking 6,026 registrations, an increase of 700 from last year. Participants logged 81,826 books and 1.8 million minutes of reading.
Amendments to policies
The board concluded the meeting by considering two proposed amendments to its policy code.
The first concerned employee performance evaluations. The proposed amendment would clarify probationary periods, requirements for annual evaluations, policies governing merit increases, the board’s evaluation of the library director, and the criteria used in employee evaluations.
The policy was originally written in 2019, when the library did not have merit-based salary increases in place. It was intended to make long-term employment with the library more viable.
Assistant Director Dustin Cotton said the proposed amendment resulted from a discussion with the library’s human resources manager, during which several sections were identified as needing revisions.
The amendment sought to clarify the different probationary periods for support staff and paraprofessionals; state that all employees will be evaluated at least once annually and potentially more often when circumstances require; stipulate that employees are not guaranteed performance-based salary scale adjustments or pay increases; clarify that only the Board of Control may evaluate the library director and determine whether the director will receive a performance-based salary adjustment; and specify the criteria used in the library system’s performance evaluations.
The board split 4-4 on the amendment, causing the motion to fail. Dewanna Christian, Trey Cowell, Kristan Whann, and Jonathan Davis voted against it.
The second proposed amendment concerned the Leave Donation Program, which allows employees to donate paid leave to colleagues experiencing severe extenuating circumstances or serious health conditions.
The amendment clarified that the library director must approve or deny leave donation requests, removed a provision limiting donated leave to 75% of an employee’s pay, and established that donated leave must be used during the fiscal year in which it is donated and cannot roll over to the following year.
The board voted unanimously to approve the amendment and adjourned the meeting.
