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Library director proposes full-time assistant in FY2027 budget, council weighs alternatives
Summary
Library Director Kari Rose told the council the library needs an additional full-time assistant — a change she estimated would cost approximately $35,000–$40,000 annually — and council members discussed hiring part-time help or contracting cleaning instead to avoid benefits costs.
Kari Rose, Oakland Library Director, proposed increasing the library assistant position to full time in the FY2027 budget, saying the change would add about $35,000–$40,000 per year in wages and benefits. Rose told the council that “the two of them [library staff] being too busy with things like programs and grant writing to get everything done.”
Council members questioned the cost and suggested alternatives, including hiring another part-time employee or contracting cleaning tasks so current staff would not take on custodial duties. No formal vote was taken; the budget discussion was recorded for consideration during the upcoming budget workshop scheduled for Jan. 27.
Rose framed the request as operational: the library’s program and grant workload has outpaced current staffing. Council members asked staff to explore lower-cost staffing configurations before finalizing budget recommendations.
Next procedural step: the library budget request will be considered as part of the city’s budget process at the Jan. 27 workshop.
