Residents urge Park County commissioners to restore nearly $182,000 in library funding

Amy Zanoni, president of the Livingston Park County Library Board, told the Park County commissioners at a Sept. 21 budget workshop that the budget before the board would reduce county support for the library by almost $182,000. "That's a 24% decrease," she said, adding that the library had built its spring 2026 budget around an expected county contribution of about $755,000.

Zanoni said the library could use reserves to carry through the current fiscal year but warned that deeper or continued cuts would force reductions in hours and staff and would compromise programs that serve children, seniors and countywide outreach. "It looks like the county is planning to cover only the voted mills," Zanoni said, referring to the portion of library revenue that comes from voter‑approved mill levies rather than discretionary general‑fund allocations. She also urged the commissioners to update the expired 2017 city–county compact that governs funding for joint city–county institutions so the library board can budget with confidence.

Multiple residents backed Zanoni's appeal during public comment. Dan Neal, a Park County resident, pressed the commission on the relative cost, saying keeping library funding where it is would "cost approximately 7¢ per day for all of the tax paying adults in the county." Other speakers described the library as a hub for early literacy, computer access and mental‑health referrals, and noted countywide services such as a bookmobile to rural communities.

County staff and commissioners said the proposed change reflected tighter revenue after recent recalculations of mill values and other pressures in the general fund. Staff noted the library previously received $166,837 from the general‑fund mill last year and that the voted mills provide a separate revenue stream (the budget worksheet showed the library's voted mills at about $573,006). Commissioners acknowledged the library's value and promised further review as they finalize the preliminary budget at a later, noticed meeting.