At the Pierce County Library System’s Board of Trustees’ Wednesday, Oct. 9, 3:30 p.m., regular meeting, the Board will discuss the draft balanced operating budget and planned work for 2025, a comprehensive capital facility plan, the interim Lakewood Pierce County Library opening, and address additional business.
The meeting will be held in person at the Pierce County Library Administrative Center at 3005 112th St. E., Tacoma. Optional virtual attendance is available via mypcls.org/about-us/board-of-trustees/.
In follow up to the September Board meeting, Library administrators will continue discussions with the Board to create a balanced operating budget for 2025. In September, the Board continued deliberations on how to manage finances as costs to operate libraries will increase at a higher rate than revenues starting in 2025. In addition, to begin to using funds from the Levy Sustainability Fund, the Library System will make changes to operations to reduce costs and implement further efficiencies next year. Library administrators created the Levy Sustainability Fund and the Board of Trustees approved it, following voters passing a levy lid-lift in 2018.
In 2025, the Library’s plan of work will stem from its new strategic plan for 2025-2029. The Board of Trustees is scheduled to give a final review of the strategic plan and approve it at the November or December 2024 Board meeting. The strategic plan will guide how the Library’s services will meet individual and community needs. A major focus next year is continuing to work with the Sumner community to build a new Sumner Pierce County Library, which voters approved in 2023.
Architects with Gensler & Associates will educate the Board of Trustees about comprehensive capital facility planning. The plan will provide an overview of the buildings and technology in the Library System and outline how the Library’s buildings will need to evolve to serve communities for the next 20 or more years.
In September, the Library System welcomed people to the interim Lakewood Library. The community has responded very positively to the new 7,500 square-foot full service library. Community members lined up for an hour, waiting for the doors to open to the public for the first time on Sept. 12. Those excited residents checked out more than 500 books, movies and other library materials on the first day.
In October, contractors are scheduled to complete the demolition of the previous library on Wildaire Road S.W. This is part of the long-term planning for the downtown library to be considered being built on the site of the old building. In the coming years, the Board will continue its plans for a long-term library.
For more information: https://mypcls.org/about-us/board-of-trustees/.
