Stonington libraries seek 3% increase and warn of state cut to interlibrary delivery program

Directors for Stonington Free Library, Westerly/Wilcox Park, and Mystic Noank described unified requests for modest municipal increases (3% each) and outlined growing cost pressures driven by digital material licensing and staff recruitment.

"Publishers charge libraries six to ten times more for ebooks than they charge consumers," said Na Hall, director of Stonington Free Library, who provided a peer‑comparison chart and said Stonington's municipal per‑capita library support is low relative to neighboring towns. Hall warned a proposed 20% cut to the state's Borrow It Connecticut program could reduce Stonington's benefit from that system by roughly $54,000 annually and diminish interlibrary lending and statewide delivery services.

Bill Anel, assistant director at Wilcox Park/Westerly Library, urged continued municipal support to preserve staffing and services, saying libraries are competing with other public and private employers for qualified employees. Trustees of Mystic Noank explained the library budgets are funded roughly one‑third by municipal support, one‑third from endowment draws and one‑third by fundraising.

Board members asked whether the libraries had considered increased endowment draw rates; directors said endowment draw policies are guided by finance committees and current draws are set to preserve long‑term growth. The board offered to write testimony or letters if the libraries can point to upcoming state hearings on the Borrow It Connecticut cuts.

The libraries did not receive final decisions at the meeting; their requests will be considered in upcoming budget sessions and the board asked for updated charts and 2026 figures when available.