The town of Westport's share of the Westport Library's budget declined from 77.6 percent in fiscal year 2025-26 to 76.3 percent in the current fiscal year, even as library use has grown sharply, according to documents reviewed by a Board of Finance Audit Sub-Committee during a roughly 30-minute Zoom meeting on Tuesday.
Westport town share of library budget falls as usage rises sharply
The town of Westport's share of the Westport Library's budget declined from 77.6 percent in fiscal year 2025-26 to 76.3 percent in the current fiscal year, even as library use has grown sharply, according to documents reviewed by a Board of Finance Audit Sub-Committee during a roughly 30-minute Zoom meeting on Tuesday.
The library's total budget rose from $7.65 million in 2025-26 to $8 million in the current fiscal year. The town appropriation increased 3.2 percent, from $5.9 million to $6.1 million, while library contributions grew 10.9 percent, from $1.7 million to $1.9 million. In dollar terms, the two increases were similar — $190,064 from the town and $186,070 from library contributions — according to an executive summary from the Westport Library Association.
By comparison, library contributions grew only 4 percent and the town appropriation grew 6.6 percent between fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26, the documents show.
Annual visits to the library have increased 68 percent, or 162,973, since fiscal year 2021-22. Program attendance for children 5 years old and younger increased 202 percent over four years, and teen program attendance increased more than 500 percent over the same period.
The sub-committee also reviewed a three-year capital plan totaling $1.28 million covering fiscal years 2026-27 through 2028-29. The current fiscal year carries the highest expenditure at $613,180, with the largest single line item being $250,000 for furniture replacement and redesign. The following two fiscal years total $321,400 and $345,900, respectively, with $165,000 for interior painting and $109,000 for carpeting listed in each of those years.
A $200,000 gift from Rob Haroun, who served on a building committee for the library, is restricted to landscaping, including a new irrigation system, masonry work, and plumbing connections. Of that gift, $91,592 has been spent on design, installation, and maintenance, with $108,408 committed to future garden maintenance. The gift is not included in the library's operating budget, according to Westport Library Association documents.
Documents reviewed Tuesday also included comparisons with libraries in Darien, New Canaan, Ridgefield, and Wilton. In 2024-25, Westport Library reportedly answered the most reference questions in that peer group, had the highest program attendance, had the second-highest book circulation behind Darien, and spent less of its budget on staffing than its peers.
- The source does not state what prompted the sub-committee to review library finances at this time.
- The source does not state whether the Board of Finance sub-committee plans to hold a follow-up meeting at which a quorum and a vote would be possible.
- The source does not state the library's position on the question Hightower raised about appropriate town-versus-private funding ratios by budget category.
- The source does not identify the four budget categories beyond Hightower's description — core library services, community education, cultural enrichment, and experimental or strategic initiatives — nor confirm whether those are the library's official category names.
- The source does not state whether any action or recommendation is expected from the sub-committee following the Tuesday discussion.
Read the original at Westport Journal