Library director Corinne Hill attends a Chattanooga Public Library board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Chattanooga.
Richard Beeland, media relations director for the mayor's office, in this file photo.The Chattanooga Public Library Board voted today to adopt the city's policies for library employees, excluding a union representative from the discussions.
Kate Sheets, a representative with the Service Employees International Union Local 205, said she believes the library board violated the city's memorandum of understanding by not first discussing significant changes for employees with the union.
"This was a violation of that agreement," Sheets told the board.
The board didn't respond. The changes were approved after board member Tom Griscom said officials didn't need to pick and choose what policies to adopt. But library employees should have to follow the same practices as other city employees to request vacation and sick time along with other personnel matters.
"This is where we've gotten in trouble," Griscom told the board. "And I'm tired of it."
Library Director Corinne Hill also announced she would hire Richard Beeland, the city's current personnel director and the former spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield. Beeland will become the library's chief administrative officer to oversee vacation and travel requests for library employees.
The policy changes are in response to City Auditor Stan Sewell's investigation that found Hill and her top employees Assistant Director Nate Hill and Systems Administrator Meg Backus had taken weeks of unreported vacation time and found excessive reimbursements of nearly $3,000.