August 25, 2026
Agenda Item No. 16
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Melissa Hartson, Library Services Director - 949-717-3801, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Rebecca Lightfoot, Library Services Manager - 949-717-3819, [email protected] TITLE:
Budget Amendment to Accept a Check from the Library Foundation of Newport Beach and Appropriate Funds to the Library’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 Operation Budget ABSTRACT:
For the City Council’s consideration is a budget amendment to accept a check from the Library Foundation of Newport Beach (Foundation) to fund space planning services and new furniture for the Central Library, to refurbish the children’s area at Mariners Branch, to fund the opening day collection at Balboa Branch, to fund 3rd Thursday programs at Corona del Mar Branch, and to augment the adult and children’s Tech Toys collections.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Accept a check in the amount of $182,500 from the Library Foundation of Newport Beach and approve Budget Amendment No. 27-009 to increase expenditures by the same amount in Division 0106051 (Foundation).
DISCUSSION:
The Foundation has offered a $182,500 donation to support improvements, collections, and programming across all four Newport Beach Public Library locations.
At the Central Library (Central), the Foundation’s funding will support space planning and new furniture for public areas. Central opened in 1994 and is heavily used, with nearly 40,000 patrons visiting each month. Much of the furniture in the public spaces is original to the building and has withstood decades of use; however, patron needs and use patterns have changed. The funds will be used to hire a space-planning firm to redesign key study areas and determine how best to furnish these spaces to meet the current needs of library patrons.
The Foundation’s donation will also be used to refurbish the Mariners Branch Children’s area by replacing furnishings and adding interactive wall elements to encourage tactile learning skills for the library’s youngest patrons. It will also be used to support the opening day collection for the new Balboa Branch, which will reopen in 2027. A brand-new collection of materials for all ages will outfit the shelves when the facility opens.
In addition, funds to augment the popular Tech Toy Collections for both children and adults will help decrease hold queue wait times, replace aging items with newer versions, and expand offerings to include some patron suggestions. Finally, funds were donated for the popular Third Thursday programs at Corona del Mar Branch. Staff will utilize the funds to offer high-quality programming to enhance community engagement at these events.
This $182,500 grant request from the Foundation was approved by the Board of Library Trustees at its July 20, 2026 meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Budget Amendment 27-009 appropriates $182,500 in additional revenue from the Foundation and $182,500 in increased expenditure appropriations with no impact on fund balance. The revenue will be posted in the Foundation account in the Library Services Department, 0106051-511085, and the purchase will be expensed to the following Foundation accounts:
Library Materials 0106051-841052 $40,000
Office Furniture and Fixtures 0106051-911039 $140,000
Library Programming 0106051-841004 $2,500
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Budget Amendment
Budget Amendment to Accept a Check from the Library Foundation of Newport Beach and Appropriate Funds to the Library’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 Operation Budget August 25, 2026
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