By ANDY GARDNER

The Massena Town Council is going to sit back and watch how things play out surrounding the ongoing initiative to open a branch of the Massena Public Library in the town of Brasher.

“Let it play out and see what happens,” Councilman Albert Nicola said. “It’s not going to cost us anything.”

According to Massena Public Library Director Elaine Dunne-Thayer, there are two steps before anything is finalized: first library advocates must collect 80 signatures from registered Brasher voters, which will put the proposition up for a November referendum.

Dunne-Thayer said if the library were to open a second branch, Brasher taxpayers would foot the bill.

The town council “doesn’t want us to use Massena taxpayer money to run the Brasher branch,” Dunne-Thayer said Wednesday.

The library director said she thinks the new branch would initially be staffed by an experienced part-time worker from Massena, with the position later being transitioned to someone from the Brasher community.

Massena Town Supervisor Joseph Gray raised several questions he wants to see answered regarding the potential Brasher branch:

• How would building leasing be handled?

• Does Brasher or Massena have control for salary increases if it’s run by town employees?

• Should Brasher get a representative on the Massena library board?