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Council seeks clearer accounting of library costs as budget pressure mounts
Summary
Council members reiterated strong support for the Timberland Regional Library branch in Shelton but asked staff to break out the library’s recurring city costs (utilities, custodial FTE, insurance) apart from one-time capital improvements as the council frames 2026 budget cuts.
Council members told staff on June 10 they do not want to cut library services but asked for more precise accounting of the city’s recurring costs for the Timberland Regional Library building in Shelton and options to reduce city-maintained expenses.
City staff said the city’s budget line for the library this year is “just over $400,000,” a total that includes ongoing operations plus several large, one-time capital improvements completed in 2025 (deck repair, HVAC work and other building work). Staff said the recurring items that the city currently pays include custodial support (about one FTE because the library is open seven days a week), utility bills and insurance; staff asked the council whether the city should continue paying those operating facilities costs or negotiate a different arrangement with Timberland Regional Library.
Council members strongly advocated keeping library services intact. Several members described the facility as a community anchor for children and families and a low-cost civic resource. One council member said the council should “increase” support, not cut it; another asked staff to identify whether the library could assume custodial duties, utilities or other costs, and to return with the clear, recurring dollar amounts (insurance, utilities and the custodial FTE) separate from the capital-improvement total.
Staff said some figures in the budget packet were conflated with 2025 grant-funded or one-time projects, and committed to returning with a breakdown that isolates recurring annual costs. The council also discussed whether the library district’s levy mechanics across five counties limit other funding options and whether removing city support while residents already pay into the library district would be equitable.
Council direction and next steps: Staff will produce a line-by-line recurring-cost accounting for the city’s library expenditures (insurance, utilities, custodial FTE and other recurring services) and explore options for shifting specific facility costs or arranging a different ILA (interlocal agreement) with Timberland Regional Library.
