West Fargo library board approves preliminary budget and directs submission to city

The West Fargo Public Library Board approved the library's draft preliminary budget and directed the director to submit the draft to the city. The board heard questions about assumed insurance and benefits increases, cost-allocation changes from public works, and the city's consolidation of object codes.

Jenna, the library director, said the draft reflects finance department formulas (including an assumed 10% increase in certain lines and an assumed 3% cost-of-living adjustment) and noted some lines are placeholders until final figures are set. Board members raised a concern that salaries, insurance and benefits together looked to increase by about $162,000 while the total budget increase shown was closer to $142,000; one member warned this shift could favor staffing costs over purchases for the collection. Jenna said the insurance number likely reflects staff turnover and an open full-time position budgeted under a family plan and that the figure may come down once staffing selections are known.

Board members discussed a marked increase in cost allocations for custodial services, which Jenna said stems from public works hiring two additional custodians and assigning the library its share of those costs; she said the board has the discretion to contract custodial services and that the library has gone out for quotes in the past. Members also asked about color-coding in the budget worksheet; Jenna explained blue lines reflect finance-supplied formula values and red lines mark object codes the city is consolidating.

Tyler moved to approve the draft as the library's preliminary budget; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board then moved and seconded to have Jenna submit the preliminary budget to the city; that motion also passed. Jenna said any budget reductions or contract decisions (for example, running an RFP for custodial services) could be reflected in the revised budget later in the process.