The Sumner County Library Board on Dec. 11 approved start dates and the budgeted salaries for two recently hired library directors after a heated discussion over how director pay is determined.

Chair called the special meeting to consider confirmation of the Oct. 31, 2025 start dates and the salaries listed in the county budget. The board voted to approve the start dates for Angela Lucido Holmes at Westmoreland and Emily Higgins at Hendersonville, then took up separate motions to adopt the salary line items included in the Sumner County consolidated annual budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

Public speakers urged the board not to penalize the hires. Suzanne Belling told the board she supported the start dates and salaries and warned that some commissioners had discussed “suspending the directors without pay or terminating them,” a move she described as “ridiculous.” Resident Paul Grady said threats to fire the hires in public meetings were “outrageous” and warned such actions could prompt a lawsuit. Angela Lucido Holmes, who identified herself as Westmoreland’s newly hired director, asked the board not to place her on leave of absence and described staff turnover at her branch. Longtime staff member Lisa Majors said the new director had restored morale and urged the board to consider staffing impacts when deciding pay.

On the Westmoreland salary, the board heard that the $60,416 figure corresponds to the line-item amount shown on page 77 of the county’s consolidated annual budget and reflects a cost-of-living adjustment from a prior $58,656 figure. Board members questioned whether the job posting or candidate interviews had made that exact dollar amount clear; the Personnel Committee’s practice, as described at the meeting, was to reference the budget line item and an approximate $60,000 expectation rather than quoting a precise dollar figure during interviews.

After discussion, the board voted to approve the Westmoreland director salary of $60,416. The chair called the motion carried.

On the Hendersonville salary, members noted the Hendersonville line item is historically slightly higher (roughly $800–$900) because the branch is larger and has greater demand. One board member proposed an amendment to set the Hendersonville director’s pay equal to Westmoreland’s ($60,416) pending a six-month review; that amendment was debated and then failed. The board then approved the main motion to adopt the Hendersonville director salary as listed in the budget at $61,322. The chair recorded the vote as 4–3 with one abstention.

Board members said the episode highlighted a lack of formal policy for differentiating director pay by experience, tenure, or duties and several members urged that the board take up a policy review in January to make future posting and hiring practices clearer.

Votes at a glance:
- Approve start dates for Angela Lucido Holmes (Westmoreland) and Emily Higgins (Hendersonville): approved (voice vote).
- Approve Westmoreland director salary ($60,416, budget page 77): approved.
- Approve Hendersonville director salary ($61,322, budget page 74): approved, recorded 4–3 with one abstention.

The board moved on to the next agenda item after the votes. The meeting record and video will be used for the official minutes.