After a long, sultry August day in Oak Bluffs, summer residents were doused with a bucket of cold water on Tuesday at the annual summer taxpayers meeting when they learned of the town’s dire financial situation and across-the-board cutbacks in services.

“You call us summer taxpayers but I’m a year-round taxpayer,” said Thelma Baxter. “As a year-round taxpayer I’m concerned about all these cuts.”

Ms. Baxter, a retired superintendant, participates in an African American women’s book club in Oak Bluffs and was particularly concerned about the state of the library.

“The library to this community is a focal point,” she said. “This is a literate community. Why should we not have a reference librarian?” The meeting was held in the library.

The library has been unable to hire a reference librarian since selectmen imposed a town-wide hiring freeze in the spring. A Proposition 2 1/2 override that would have restored funding for the position failed at a special election in May. The library also recently reduced its hours on Thursdays due to a staffing shortage.

“This is the only cool place for many of the seniors when we have these hot days,” said Ms. Baxter. “They don’t have air conditioning in their older homes and this place is like a refuge for them.”

Selectmen were unaware that hours had been shortened at the library, but said the reference librarian position was an unavoidable casualty of the town’s financial straits.

Selectmen Mike Santoro and Walter Vail confer. — Ivy Ashe

“Unfortunately, while the library is critical to a lot of people, it falls within a discretionary, nonessential service when it comes to running a town,” said selectman and board chairman Kathy Burton. “We’re doing the very best we can to keep it open as much and as long as we can, we just don’t have enough money in our budget. While I appreciate the taxes that you pay, the problem is you don’t vote here and I’m sorry to say the voters would not approve the overrides we needed in order to continue to fund all the services that we have. We don’t even have a town accountant right now,” Ms. Burton said.

“Statewide they’re actually closing libraries,” added selectman Gail Barmakian.

“And that’s criminal,” Ms. Baxter shot back. “They’re closing libraries and opening jails. And if we had more libraries we’d have fewer need for jails.”

News was similarly grim in other departments. Police chief Erik Blake suggested that residents take public transportation to and from Illumination Night and the fireworks next week, warning that cutbacks to his staff might hamper traffic management during the events.

“We haven’t been able to hire as many people as we have in the past but we’re doing the best job we can,” Chief Blake said. “We actually used to hire 16 to 19 summer officers. This year we hired six summer officers and three parking attendants and we’re down two full-time police officers due to retirement and military commitments. We’ll take a deep breath and let it out at the end of August.”

Resident Richard Selig lamented the state of Inkwell and Pay Beaches.

“There needs to be more attention paid to what’s going on down there,” he said. Last month Mr. Selig organized a surf rake demonstration for selectmen at Inkwell Beach and once more pressed the board to consider purchasing the equipment.

“I think you’ve got a great idea for cleaning the beaches and I think it would be great if we had some money to go ahead and get [a surf rake],” said selectman Walter Vail. “As I understand it that piece of equipment is $50,000. I wish we could put something in the budget but we can’t.”

The somber mood carried over to the highway department, where superintendant Richie Combra Jr. saw a Proposition 2 and 1/2 override question that would have restored $230,000 in cuts to the town’s paving program voted down at a special election in the spring.

“I don’t want to give you too big of a sob story but our department has been hit pretty hard in the last few years,” Mr. Combra said. “I had a 10-member department of full-time employees three years ago. We’re down to six full-time employees, but we’re doing our best to keep the town looking beautiful.”

Mr. Combra also serves on the parks commission, another board hit particularly hard by cutbacks.

“Last year the parks commission budget was around $137,000; this year it’s $15,000,” he said.

Although town officials were short on good news, at least one member of the audience was grateful for their efforts.

“I’m here to say thank you,” Ms. Baxter said to Mr. Combra. “I walk very early every morning I and I see the men out there. I know how hard they’re working to clean the town.”