Boulder library district reports $900,000 revenue shortfall; trustees schedule restructuring discussion
Trustees said current-year revenue receipts are below expectations, discussed a preliminary 2028 deficit scenario and scheduled a Sept. 29 meeting on personnel restructuring. They also approved two holiday-calendar changes.
The Boulder Public Library District is about $900,000 below expected current-year revenue receipts, and trustees scheduled a Sept. 29 public meeting to discuss personnel restructuring. Trustees also considered a preliminary 2028 scenario that could add another roughly $900,000 deficit, but they did not adopt a 2028 budget or staffing plan at their Sept. 16 meeting.
Staff told trustees that additional payments were expected before the end of the year. The treasurer’s report put revenue receipts at about 95% to 96% of budget and expenditures at about 70% at the time of the meeting. The Sept. 16 meeting recording supports the figures and actions described here.
During the discussion, a trustee said a staff model assumed about $21.9 million in 2028 revenue, including 2% growth in the commercial-property portion of the projection. The trustee said a more conservative base case could produce an additional deficit of about $900,000, with a larger shortfall possible under a “bear” scenario. Those were planning assumptions, not an adopted forecast. Trustees said more data would be available before the 2028 budget decision.
The district’s Sept. 29 virtual special meeting will focus on personnel changes and restructuring. Trustees connected the discussion to staff reductions but did not approve a staffing plan or specify which positions could be affected.
Trustees also approved two holiday-calendar changes. They swapped the Martin Luther King Jr. Day closure for the Friday after Thanksgiving and voted 4-3 to remove Presidents Day from the closure schedule without replacing it. They did not approve proposals to remove Juneteenth or Veterans Day.
The holiday changes could allow the libraries to open on more days, but trustees and staff said they do not automatically reduce personnel costs. The district has 12 paid holidays, and changes to holidays or benefits could require further labor negotiations. The board did not approve a revised employee handbook or labor agreement.