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Council moves $40,000 into Rondo library security plan, accepts $500,000 state grant for Hamline Midway reconstruction
Summary
Council approved a $40,000 intra-city fund transfer to support contracted security during Rondo/Rondeau Library’s temporary relocation and accepted a $500,000 Minnesota Department of Education grant for Hamline Midway Library reconstruction. Staff clarified the $40,000 comes from city special Fund 211 (not ARPA).
The Saint Paul City Council on Nov. 5 approved a resolution to reallocate $40,000 of unspent city special-fund money into the library "optimal response" project to cover part of a planned $130,000 security contract while the Rondeau Library is vacated for renovation.
Laura Logsdon, interim director of the Office of Financial Services, told the council: “This resolution is to move $40,000 of unspent funds from … the DSI SAC fees project into the library optimal response project.” Staff said $90,000 is already included in the mayor’s proposed 2026 budget and the transfer aligns the timing so the full $130,000 is available for contracted security once Rondeau closes and services temporarily move to Hallie Q. Brown.
Councilmembers asked whether the money was ARPA; staff replied these are not federal ARPA funds but are in Fund 211, a city special fund containing mixed one-time sources including previously freed-up ARPA-eligible allocations. Staff clarified the planned security would be contracted private security (not increased SPPD presence) and that Rondeau is scheduled to close Dec. 15 and reopen at Hallie Q. Brown on Jan. 2.
Separately, the council accepted $500,000 in grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Education to support reconstruction of the Hamline Midway Library and amended the library’s 2025 financing and spending plan accordingly; the resolution passed 7–0.
Votes and next steps: the intra-city transfer resolution and the MDE grant acceptance were adopted by the council. Staff said the library security contract will be procured and scheduled to overlap with library staff responsibilities to protect the vacant building. The council recorded a 7–0 vote on the library transfer resolution.
