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Lake Agassiz Regional Library asks Polk County for $28,000 increase in 2026 budget
Summary
The Lake Agassiz Regional Library requested an additional $28,000 from Polk County for 2026 to raise frontline staff pay and avoid reducing branch hours, while reporting heavy circulation and partnership growth across the region.
Lake Agassiz Regional Library representatives asked the Polk County Board of Commissioners on Thursday to increase the county’s contribution by $28,000 for the library’s 2026 budget to support pay raises for frontline staff.
Library representative Liz (Lake Agassiz Regional Library) told commissioners the regional system serves seven counties with 22 locations and is “busier than ever,” citing more than a quarter-million items checked out in the first half of the year across the region and more than 100,000 checkouts by Polk County cardholders. She said the library is in a strategic planning process and highlighted partnerships such as the Family Resource Center colocated at the Crookston Public Library.
Liz said the Lake Agassiz Regional Library board used reserves in 2025 to fund a large increase in frontline wages following 2024 union negotiations and that continuing to rely on reserves is not sustainable. “We are requesting an additional $28,000 in 2026,” she said, and reminded commissioners that the joint powers agreement requires signatory funding; any shortfall could reduce hours at signatory locations in Polk County.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about a planned move of the library’s headquarters into a new facility and whether the 2026 increase was tied to that move; Liz said the current request is for wage increases only and the relocation will affect future budgets. She also noted the state Department of Education maintenance-of-effort formula yields a figure she estimated at about $181,000 and that without contributions above that level the regional library could not sustain operations.
The presentation included a brochure about arts and cultural heritage programs funded through the legacy amendment and a request that commissioners encourage residents to use library services and consider the regional partnership’s role in workforce and social-service access.
The library’s request will be considered as part of county budget deliberations in the coming days.
Ending: The library’s request underscores staffing challenges at small public libraries and frames a decision for commissioners as a choice between raising local funding or accepting reduced hours at branch locations in Polk County.
