Albany renews $725,440 contract with Alameda County for library hours; staff outlines expanded programs and reserves

Albany City Council on June 2 approved its annual contract with Alameda County to pay for additional hours at the Albany branch library and received a report on library programs, enrollment and the branch's financial reserves.

The council signed a fiscal-year 2025'026 contract for $725,440 to fund 25.5 of the branch's 41 weekly open hours, Assistant City Manager Isabelle Leduc told the council during the presentation. Leduc said the contracted hours are paid from local parcel taxes approved by Albany voters and that the city's library fund carries a reserve to smooth operations following reduced hours during the pandemic.

City staff said the countywide library budget totals about $2.9 million and Albany's share of property-tax funding to the county library is roughly $864,000 based on assessed values. Darshan Chaddha, finance manager at Alameda County Library, said the county is renewing the contract without increasing the $725,440 figure this year and that library operations remain funded in the current proposal.

The report to council included an overview of the branch's programs and outreach. Lexus (division director), the county's new division director for branch libraries, and the branch manager described a range of events over the past year: expanded children's and teen outreach (including Manga Monday at the middle school), sustainability and resilience programming, an adoption partnership that resulted in adoptions, a community comic-and-fandom expo that drew large attendance, and recurring after-hours events intended to broaden library usership.

Council members pressed staff about the library fund balance and capital needs. One council member asked whether the city's library fund balance would be about $912,000 at June 30; staff confirmed the city expects a fund balance just under $1 million (staff characterized it as "a little under a million dollars") after the contract payment and current planned spending. Staff also said the county's branch budget maintains a separate fund balance for library purposes and that remaining funds are available for building maintenance or capital improvements.

Council members and staff discussed how parcel-tax proceeds may be used. Staff said the parcel taxes were intended to support library hours and branch operations and that some capital work related to the building could be eligible for those funds; staff added public-works facility assessments are underway to identify and prioritize future capital needs. Council members said they wanted…