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Stratford Library outlines FY26 priorities as health‑insurance costs, ebook pricing and state grant uncertainty loom
Summary
Stratford Library Director Sherry told the ordinance committee the FY26 request prioritizes sustaining programs, expanding outreach and repurposing underused space for public use while the library faces a projected health‑insurance renewal increase and uncertainty about state pass‑through services.
Sherry, director of the Stratford Library, presented the library’s FY26 priorities and budget detail to the ordinance committee, focusing on sustaining current programs, expanding outreach, reorganizing public space and increasing grant‑seeking capacity.
Sherry opened with a staff‑development anecdote about teen volunteers running a neuroscience program for children and said the library is emphasizing workforce development through its You Create maker space. She said personnel costs remain the largest portion of the library budget: “Our major expenses in our budget are around personnel, because our programs and our services do not exist without the people to make them happen,” she told council members.
Sherry told the committee the library’s full ask differs from the mayor’s recommended appropriation (a roughly $100,000 gap between request and recommended funding). She said the library is seeking operational savings through reduced payroll processing costs and alternatives for employee health coverage; the board has discussed, and the library is evaluating, participation in a state partnership plan for insurance because a vendor renewal produced a larger than expected health‑insurance increase (the library’s projection in discussion was a 19% renewal).
Councilors asked about solar opportunities on the roof; Sherry said the facility is three joined buildings with mixed roof types (terracotta, slate and a small flat roof largely occupied by HVAC equipment) and that rooftop solar is technically limited; the town’s energy team and finance staff said virtual net metering or offsite arrays remain possibilities for shared savings.
On digital materials, Sherry highlighted the ongoing ebook pricing issue: libraries typically pay substantially more than consumers for ebooks and often must repurchase or re‑license items after a limited number of checkouts or a fixed term. “Ebooks for us were approximately … very expensive to have,” she said, adding that ebook pricing and license models are the subject of pending state legislation and library‑association advocacy.
Sherry also described state‑level uncertainty tied to federal funding that passes through the Connecticut State Library: reciprocal borrowing, statewide delivery services and some training platforms have already received notice of potential contract expirations or funding changes. She said one training platform (WebJunction) will expire on Sept. 30 and that the library is a regional hub for CT Lab, the service for the blind and print‑disabled, which is federally supported.
Staffing: Sherry said the library employs 27 full‑time and 27 part‑time workers; on a typical weekday 8–10 staff are on the floor, depending on programming. She presented capital needs including flooring on the underutilized lower level (which would allow shelving removal and the conversion of space to more public seating and remote‑work areas) and elevator work tied to anticipated CDBG funding.
Ending: Council members thanked the library for its programming and asked for any state‑level grant impact details as they become available; Sherry said she would forward information when the Connecticut State Library clarifies the state’s response to federal cuts.
