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Library director says finance office seeks $27,000 cut; staff proposes $10,000 lower‑impact alternative
Summary
At a Dell Rapids library board meeting the library director reported the finance office is seeking $27,000 in cuts for the 2027 budget but said she has identified $10,000 in lower‑impact reductions and will present comparative funding data to the city in advance of an August council budget work session.
The library director reported that the city finance office is asking the library to arrive at a $27,000 reduction for the 2027 budget and said staff has begun preparing options for council review. "I know the number that the finance department is looking for, and is $27,000," the director told the board.
The director said she has found "$10,000 to cut that would be the least impactful" and recommended presenting both the full $27,000 scenario and the $10,000 alternative so the city council can weigh tradeoffs across departments. She said her per‑person funding comparison places the library at about $96 per resident — inside a peer range she found of roughly $81–$129 per capita for singly funded libraries and about $60–$98 for dual‑funded systems once county contributions are included.
The director said she will submit her research to Christina, the city finance officer, by June 30 and expects to present the budget materials to the council during an August budget meeting so council members have time to review options before decisions are made. Board members urged presenting a clear set of tradeoffs so council can decide where to allocate cuts across departments.
The board approved the finance reports on a voice vote following the presentation. The director said any final decisions about the 2027 budget rest with the city council.
