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Carnegie‑Stout Library seeks roughly $4.5M in FY2026 property‑tax support; highlights rising use and requested staff upgrades
Summary
Library Director Nick Rossman reported rising visitor and digital‑resource use and requested property‑tax support that would equal about $59.03 per average homeowner; four staff improvement package requests were not recommended in the manager’s proposed budget.
Nick Rossman, director of the Carnegie‑Stout Public Library, presented the library’s FY2026 budget request at the Dubuque City Council special session on April 3, highlighting increased visits and digital circulation and outlining staffing and capital improvement priorities.
"Enriching the lives in the Dubuque community through experiences and resources that encourage discovery," Rossman said when reviewing the library’s mission and the library’s year‑to‑date statistics.
Rossman reported the library had more than 212,000 visitors in FY2024, served roughly 47,000 cardholders and recorded nearly 850,000 total resource accesses (a combined metric including circulation, programming attendance, database and technology use). Maker‑space visits totaled about 7,200 in FY2024. Rossman emphasized growth in digital materials and new services: the Weiss Financial Ratings database and a virtual author‑talk program that launched in July and had recorded more than 8,000 views through February.
Library budget highlights Rossman reported: - Property‑tax support requested is just under $4.5 million, equal to about $59.03 per average homeowner. - Gift and trust balances total just above $1.0 million across restricted and unrestricted trusts (Lacey, Lowell Art Trust, Mutschler, Walton and General Library Trusts), with several projects being considered from those balances. - Four staff improvement packages (converting an IT intern to a part‑time library assistant and upgrading three library aids to librarian positions) were submitted but not recommended in the manager’s proposed budget; Rossman said the requested upgrades are intended to professionalize work in youth, teen and adult services and to stabilize staffing in the makerspace. - Seven capital improvement project requests for building maintenance and accessibility were on file but not recommended for funding this cycle; Rossman noted a concerning boiler stack discovered during recent roof work as one high priority need but said cost estimates are pending.
Rossman said the library serves as a designated warming and cooling center and provided examples of public‑safety programming (self‑defense for mobility‑impaired community members, storytimes featuring public‑safety personnel) as part of its role in community resilience. He also described planned board‑directed use of trust funds to consider maker‑space expansion, revised public service points and study‑room improvements.
During council Q&A, Jennifer Larson, the city’s chief financial officer, explained library CIP projects could be financed through city debt subject to state rules and public hearing thresholds; Rossman and council members discussed potential uses of trust funds and timing for projects. No public commenters addressed the library budget at the hearing.
