The Livingston Parish Library Board turned down a proposed cost-of-living pay increase for employees, despite the system experiencing high turnover rates the past two years.

The library board voted Tuesday to remove the increase from interim Library Director Kyla Robertson Webb's proposed 2026 budget. The majority of the board instead advocated to conduct a salary study before making any changes.

Webb said the 3% cost-of-living adjustment would follow the projected inflation rate for next year.

"Essentially diminishing their wages in the coming year could lead to increased turnover," she said. "We are seeing fairly tremendous turnover within our system."

The library system's turnover rate in 2023 was 17.3%, in 2024 it was 33.1% in 2024 and so far this year it is 25.6%, according to the

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