March 29, 2024
Matt Rodriguez, City Manager
City of San Pablo
1000 Gateway Avenue
San Pablo, CA 94806
Re: Library Hours and Technology Costs – Fiscal Year 2024-25
Dear Mr. Rodriguez:
The Contra Costa Library has submitted its budget for fiscal year 2024-25 to the Board of Supervisors for its consideration. Under the proposed budget, the Library will continue to provide a vast array of services to each of the twenty-six libraries it operates, including:
• A minimum of 40 hours of operation. (The cost to the County for this at the San Pablo Library is approximately $922,420.)
• A collection that includes one million items available for physical checkout, over four million e- books and audiobooks, 35 electronic resources, such as movies, newspapers and online learning tools.
• Library administration, which includes back-of-the-house support for computing and networking equipment, hiring and retention, shipping through three delivery routes, budget and finance support, and programs and services designed to meet the specific needs of each community.
Set forth below, and in the accompanying attachments, you will find San Pablo’s options with respect to hours of operation and the cost associated with keeping the same number of hours, as well as information about the estimated cost of leasing new self-check equipment and, if applicable, related equipment and maintenance.
Hours of Operation
Any city may elect to pay for additional hours of operation, above the County-funded 40 base hours, in order to have their library open 46, 52, or 56 hours per week. The schedule of open hours that applies to each of these options is shown on Attachment A.
The annual cost to the City of San Pablo to maintain the existing 52 hours will be $122,250.
If the City would like to increase open hours to 56 hours per week, the annual cost to the City of Pittsburg will be $206,286.
In accordance with the terms of the lease between the City and the County, within 60 days of receipt of the lease supplement, the City is required to notify the Library if the City intends to modify the number of hours of operation at the library in the upcoming fiscal year.
Technology
As agreed by the Library and a subcommittee of the Public Managers Association, in fiscal year 2024 the Library will lease additional self-check equipment for most libraries. The new equipment is intended to be cost efficient and improve patron satisfaction. Because the equipment will be leased, the acquisition costs will be spread over the five-year lease term.
For equipment leased in fiscal year 2024-25, the Library will invoice the City 25% of the estimated annual cost in each of the first three fiscal quarters with a “true-up” amount for the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter invoice will capture any variance between the estimated and actual cost of the lease in fiscal 2024-25. In subsequent fiscal years during the lease term, the Library will invoice the City 25% of the actual lease cost in each of the four fiscal quarters.
The cost of any equipment that is purchased for the San Pablo Library, and the cost of any equipment maintenance agreement, will be payable by the City in four installments the fiscal year in which they are acquired.
The estimated cost associated with self-check equipment, related equipment, and maintenance contracts, as applicable, at the San Pablo Library for each year of the self-check lease term is shown in Attachment B. If you determine, after reviewing the City’s budget for the five-year lease term, that the estimated costs are acceptable, please indicate by signing and returning to me a copy of Attachment B. If you wish to discuss a payment plan that varies from the one described in this letter, please let me know.
Summary
Please sign and return the lease supplement (related to hours) and Attachment B (related to new equipment) to me at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Thank you for your continued partnership in bringing library services to the City of San Pablo.
Sincerely,
Alison McKee
County Librarian
Cc: Caroline Olsen, Senior Community Library Manager, San Pablo Library Lynne Noone, Deputy County Librarian
Amy Brunson, Library Services Manager
ATTACHMENT A
AVAILABLE HOURS OF OPERATION
The County-funded 40 base open hour weekly schedule is as follows:
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday 12-8
Wednesday 10-6
Thursday 10-6
Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-5
Any city that would like to fund extra hours has the following standard options:
Option A
46 open hours per week
6 Extra Hours per week
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday 10-8
Wednesday 10-8
Thursday 10-8
Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-5
Option B
52 open hours per week
12 Extra Hours per week
Monday 10-8
Tuesday 10-8
Wednesday 10-6
Thursday 10-6
Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-5
Option C
56 open hours per week
16 Extra Hours per week
Monday 10-8
Tuesday 10-8
Wednesday 10-8
Thursday 10-8
Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-5
ATTACHMENT B
ESTIMATED SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT COSTS
5 Year Projection
LEASE SECTION ITEM 24/25 25/26 26/27 27/28 28/29
12.D.1. Specialized Equipment Self Checks
4 Self Checks - Leased $16,552.47 $14,250.88 $14,250.88 $14,250.88 $14,250.88 4 Self Check Pedestals $3,996.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
TOTAL $20,548.47 $14,250.88 $14,250.88 $14,250.88 $14,250.88
AGREED AND ACCEPTED
CITY OF SAN PABLO
By: ___________________________
Matt Rodriguez
City Manager