The Pennington County Board of Commissioners voted on Oct. 7 to terminate the county’s contract with the Rapid City Public Library and to cancel three additional library service contracts so all four can be renegotiated.

The action followed public comment and a pair of days of internal deliberations. A motion from Commissioner Durr to cancel all four agreements and reopen negotiations was seconded and carried by the board. County staff said the move is intended to produce a single, updated memorandum-of-understanding for all county library relationships rather than leaving separate, inconsistent agreements in place.

Why it matters: County commissioners and some residents said current contract language and automatic funding escalators no longer match the board’s budget priorities and the county’s revised fiscal outlook. The Rapid City Public Library has faced a proposed reduction from roughly $475,000 to about $81,000 in county support in the 2026 budget discussions; residents and library supporters told commissioners the library’s services are heavily used by residents outside Rapid City limits.

At the meeting a speaker listed as Chair told the room, “we are in negotiations with the library. We will probably be making a decision to either move on with that contract or or cut that contract today,” language the board used to explain the need for a clean negotiating starting point. Library supporters urged the board to preserve funding levels that reflect county use of services such as summer reading programs, park passes, and digital lending apps.

What the board did: The board voted to terminate the Rapid City Public Library contract under the notice provisions in the existing agreement and simultaneously instructed staff to draft a single negotiation posture to discuss changes with all four library providers. County staff said the termination for the Rapid City contract must be accomplished by written notice before Nov. 1 to meet the contract’s 60‑day notice requirement for a Jan. 1 contract change. Commissioners said they would not change the funds already included in the county’s 2026 budget without further public process; the change is primarily procedural to align contract language and negotiating expectations.

Next steps: County staff will prepare a draft contract template and proposed negotiation schedule and return to the board with recommended language at the next meeting. Commissioners said they expect to hold public, transparent negotiations with each library and to present any proposed new agreements to the board for final action. The board did not set exact renegotiation dates at the meeting.

Votes: Motion to cancel all four library agreements — mover: Commissioner Durr; second: Commissioner Hadcock; outcome: approved by the full board (motion carried).