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Library asks Denison City for modest budget increases to expand Spanish collection and raise staff pay
Summary
Library presenter Carrie asked Denison City council to fund a 15% expansion of the Spanish-language collection (about 141 titles) and a 4% cost-of-living pay increase for staff, noting rising periodical subscription costs, circulation-based weeding practices and potential grant offsets.
Carrie, the library's presenter to the council, asked the Denison City council to approve modest additions to next year's library budget to expand Spanish-language holdings and to raise staff pay.
She said the library currently holds 941 Spanish-language books and that a 15% increase would require roughly 141 additional titles; at the quoted price range ($12—$18 per book) she estimated purchasing the new titles would cost about $2,800. Carrie told the council the library runs circulation reports and weeds items not checked out in the last three years, following a rough target of removing about 15% of the collection annually to free shelf space for new purchases.
Carrie also requested a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for staff. She said the library has 11 positions (three full-time) and that many part-time assistants start at $10.50 an hour, which she described as below local market rates. She noted $6,001.28 in savings from an altered janitor line and said the requested increases would keep staff pay more competitive while remaining modest in the city's overall budget.
Council members asked for clarification of revenue sources before committing to additional spending. Staff noted interlibrary-loan reimbursements (about $1,700) and county contributions that are tied to serving residents in unincorporated areas. One council member flagged what they believe is an administrative error: Denison is apparently being paid by the state at a lower funding tier than it should be, which could mean the city is receiving less in direct state aid than the per-capita amount for its tier. Councilors recommended contacting the state representative to resolve the discrepancy before finalizing the library appropriation.
On periodicals, Carrie said rising subscription prices are forcing choices: expensive but low-use titles such as The New Yorker and Architectural Digest will be dropped in favor of better-used local and national papers; she noted the Omaha World-Herald subscription currently costs $848. Councilors stressed that many older patrons still prefer print copies, which affects decisions about online versus paper access.
Carrie described a planned after-school partnership with the Denison School District for roughly 20 children and said grant funding (if received) should cover any required additional staffing and snacks. She said she plans to attend a grant training and will pursue state and other grants to offset recurring costs.
The council did not take a formal vote on the request during the session; members asked staff to follow up with corrected state-aid figures and with a revised shortfall estimate before the next meeting.
