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Howard County Library requests staffing and curriculum funding in FY26; warns federal pass‑through grants are uncertain
Summary
Library executives asked the council to approve a modest 3% operating increase focused on salaries and materials and warned that some federal pass‑through grants that fund literacy and professional development may be uncertain in FY26.
Howard County Library System officials presented a FY26 operating request to the County Council emphasizing salary support, curriculum/materials and staff training.
Tonya Akins, the library’s president and CEO, said the library’s requested FY26 operating increase totals about $794,000 (3%), including a $743,630 request for salaries and benefits (intended to fund a 2% COLA subject to union negotiations), roughly $152,575 for curriculum and $50,000 for professional development.
Akins told council members some of the library’s recent professional development funding came as a federal pass‑through via the Maryland State Library Agency and that those grants — used, for example, to fund staff attendance at state library conferences and literacy programming — may not be available in FY26. "Because it is supported with federal funds, we're not certain we'll get it next year," she said, referring to a professional development pass‑through grant.
Library leaders said the increases were intended to respond to rising demand for branch services and supply‑chain cost pressures; they thanked the County Executive for a 3% increase in the proposed executive budget and asked the council to consider their full request.
Why it matters: HCLS is a high‑use community resource; reductions in program funding or professional development would affect adult literacy, early‑childhood supports and branch services relied on by residents.
What happens next: Council members had no substantive follow‑ups at the hearing but requested documentation of the executive‑to‑library delta and noted the library’s role providing federally supported literacy programs and how pass‑through changes would affect services.
