Residents urge commissioners to preserve Washoe County Library funding as budget talks continue

At the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 13, multiple residents and advisory-board representatives used the public-comment period to urge commissioners to maintain library funding during the pending fiscal year 2026 budget process.

Cynthia Cooper said she views the library as “a really foundational, really key resource in the community,” and described personal examples of how library services support seniors and people who lack home internet. Pete Banson, representing another neighborhood perspective, asked the commission to “retain the funding for the Washoe County Library System that's existed previously.” Other commenters—including Nancy Potawell Baba and a number of speakers from Spanish Springs—echoed the request to keep library hours and services intact as the board finalizes the budget.

Commissioner comments earlier in the meeting acknowledged these public appeals. Budget staff told the board that an expansion fund for libraries (expansion funds must be used for expansion purposes) has roughly $3.5 million projected to remain on June 30; staff proposed configuring that expansion-fund balance so the library could access those monies for expansion purposes and, if needed, up to $1.3 million of general-fund support to make library operations whole for the coming year. The proposal would leave primary decisions about spending expansion funds to the Washoe County Library Board of Trustees, with county finance transferring funds to departmental budgets only after the trustees authorize use.

Commissioners said they had heard the public comments and that staff had been engaged with the library board to clarify how expansion funds, general-fund transfers, and budget contingency would interact. No final appropriation was approved on May 13; staff asked the commission for direction ahead of the scheduled May 20 final budget adoption.

The public comment segment also included broader reminders from residents about library programming and local usage: speakers described library services used by children, seniors, and residents seeking internet access, workforce resources, and community programming.

No amendments to the budget were adopted on May 13; staff said they would include any board direction about library funding in the final budget documents for adoption next week.