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Menlo Park commissioners urge residents to back "Library of the Future" priorities ahead of city goal-setting
Summary
The Menlo Park Library Commission promoted its 'Library of the Future' needs assessment — including a proposed increase in full-time staffing and inclusion of the Belle Haven branch — and urged residents to submit brief input to the City Council before the March goal‑setting session so the library is considered in the FY2026–27 budget process.
The Menlo Park Library Commission on Feb. 23 urged residents to tell the City Council to include the library among its priorities as the council prepares its March goal‑setting session and the FY 2026–27 budget.
"We talked with people from staff on making sure some of these items were included in next year's budget," said a member of the Library of the Future ad hoc subcommittee, reporting that the committee had revised its needs assessment and proposed increasing full‑time equivalent positions from 1 to 3 and explicitly including both the main library and the Belle Haven branch.
Commissioners said the committee's report provides a concise list of short‑, medium‑ and long‑term needs the public can use when submitting comments to the council's web form, which has a roughly 1,000‑character limit. Chair Carol Orton told commissioners she thought it would be appropriate for the commission "to voice our interest" and encouraged members and residents to submit focused input so the library's priorities are visible during council deliberations.
Staff and commissioners reiterated that the council's goal‑setting process (the web form and an in‑person session on March 20/21) feeds into budget preparation; staff advised focusing public comments on the library's top needs rather than detailed line items so council members and budget staff can fold the library's priorities into the broader priorities list.
The subcommittee's recommendations — including the staffing increase and the emphasis on both the main and Belle Haven facilities — will remain part of the commission's advocacy efforts as staff prepares budget material for upcoming department budget meetings and the city budget portal opens in May.
Next steps: commissioners said they will encourage neighborhood outreach and personal submissions to the council's priority form before the March deadline. Staff said the commission will receive a more focused library budget briefing in March or April as department budget materials are assembled.
