The City of Delta’s three public libraries will be open additional days beginning next year.
Council, at its July 8 meeting, endorsed a staff recommendation to proceed with openings on Sundays during long weekends.
Currently, Delta’s three libraries are closed on Sundays where a holiday falls on a Monday.
A report to council notes that under the current CUPE collective agreement, which was ratified in late 2023, the Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) may now elect to remain open, on some or all, of the Sundays of long weekends.
At the May 2024 FVRL board meeting, a resolution was passed that the board endorse moving forward with Sunday, and as applicable Saturday, openings on long weekends at all libraries in fiscal 2025.
The openings are to be funded, if possible, within the existing member budget or an increase in member assessments. Member cities must approve the openings for their own libraries.
Coun. Rod Binder, Delta’s representative on the FVRL’s board, said the change puts the city in line with neighbouring communities, adding it is “not too significant of a financial impact, either.”
The report notes that the financial impact of the openings to Delta for 2025 is estimated to be $31,000 to $43,000 and can be funded from within Delta’s existing FVRL budget or Delta’s FVRL salary and benefit reserve, which has a balance of $463,000 as of Dec. 31, 2023.
The ongoing financial impact and sustainability of the funding will be revisited in the 2026 budgeting cycle.
Last December, Delta council approved increasing the city’s contribution to stay a member of the FVRL system.
The budget for 2024 sees an increase of 6.76 per cent, which works out to $276,792 from last year, for a total budget of $4,491,599 for Delta.
