Library Director Carrie Valdez told the Budget Advisory Board that the library's HVAC replacement project has a total awarded cost of about $683,000, of which the library has paid about $130,000 and has a remaining balance of about $552,000 to $553,000.

Valdez said the library operates from a separate taxing fund (operations fund 72), and by state law property taxes collected for the library may be spent only on library operations. "By state law, property taxes collected for the library can only be spent for the library," she said. She also said more than 80% of the library's operations budget is salaries and benefits and that discretionary spending (for example, purchases such as books) makes up less than 5% of the operations budget.

Valdez said eight large HVAC units and three smaller units need replacement; some units are in a mezzanine and are difficult to access. The work was delayed by supply-chain issues but is scheduled with units arriving and replacement happening next week and the week after; the library will be closed for two weeks and will operate from the teen center during that closure.

Board members discussed possible funding sources. Valdez said the library's capital fund (fund 73) holds a reserve balance of about $59,000 and a separate debt-service-related fund—tax collections remaining after a bond was paid off—contains about $277,000. The library has previously paid down the bond (final payment this year). The board noted the county commission earlier had voted to apply $80,000 from the general fund reauthorization to the HVAC project; Valdez said there are legal questions about whether certain remaining debt-service collections can be applied to maintenance. A board member recommended using the library operating fund balance (fund 72) as a last resort and cautioned against depleting that balance because doing so could accelerate the need for a library tax-rate increase.

No formal commission action was taken during the Budget Advisory Board meeting on final funding for the HVAC project. Valdez said staff will follow up with the tax commission and county administration to clarify allowable uses of the $277,000 in remaining tax-collection funds and will update budget documents to show tax-revenue projections for 2026.