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Some Carnegie Library Expenses Questioned

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Oct 12, 2009 9:26 pm US/Eastern

Some Carnegie Library Expenses Questioned

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Officials with the Carnegie Library say state budget cuts are forcing them to close several neighborhood branches.

But some question whether the library tightened its own belt.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has asked for an audit and now KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan is asking questions about overseas trips and other expenditures.

Because of cuts to state funding, the Lawrenceville branch of the Carnegie Library is now slated to close.

The library has said funding cuts make the closing a necessity.

Last week Ravenstahl asked the Allegheny Regional Asset board to conduct an audit to determine if there is any fat in the budget.

"I don't think there's money that's wasted here. I think we have we have worked extraordinarily hard over the last several years to find what ever efficiencies we could in our system," Dr. Barbara K. Mistick said last week.

However, since becoming director three years ago, Mistick has created new assistant director positions while her own compensation has increased.

She makes $168,000 a year, but since she became director, her benefits package has more than tripled from $7,300 to $26,500.

She has a library-paid membership to the exclusive Duquesne Club and she has traveled overseas on library funds. In the spring, she went to India and is planning to visit China next month.

When Sheehan asked for a list of all her travels, their purpose, cost and an accounting of other expenditures, Mistick said: "I am going to respect the process set in motion by the Regional Asset board," and refused his request for the information.

"If it becomes administratively top-heavy, if it looks like there's excessive expenditures like travel and it's not really germane to the operation -- the core operation of running the library -- that's going to raise an eyebrow obviously from the public especially if they're faced with hearing that a neighborhood library is going to close," State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, said. "That's really not an acceptable situation."

Ferlo says the money must be found and branches must stay open, but he says the library must justify every dollar it spends.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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