Library Budget
The Library budget provides library services for County residents and visitors of all ages through four libraries located in Lakeport, Clearlake, Middletown, and Upper Lake. These services include loaning books and materials to residents, programs and events for children, teens, and adults that promote life-long learning and literacy, internet access through free wifi and public computers, reference assistance, and the adult literacy program.
The library is primarily funded with a dedicated property tax approved by the voters in 1974. Property taxes make up the majority of all revenue. A very small portion of revenue is provided by library fines, fees, charges for printing, copying, and meeting room rent.
The Lake County Library budget overall is very lean. The below table compares library staff full time equivalence, expenditures on staff, and expenditures on library materials per capita to neighboring counties. Higher per capita numbers means more is being spent per person who lives in that area.
| 2019/20 | Staff FTE per 1,000 Population | Total Staff Expenditure per Capita | Materials Expenditures per Capita |
| Colusa County Free Library | 0.4109 | $34.96 | $4.77 |
| Lake County Library | 0.1741 | $10.04 | $0.89 |
| Mendocino County Library | 0.3388 | $26.47 | $3.29 |
| Napa County Library | 0.4022 | $44.30 | $4.59 |
| Sonoma County Library | 0.3949 | $39.34 | $7.07 |
| Willows Public Library | 0.4398 | $16.35 | $1.22 |
Source: California Library Statistics Portal
Below you can see a summary excerpt of the budget adopted by the Board of Supervisors for the county fiscal year, which starts in July and ends in June. You can view the full county budget here.
| Revenue | 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Timber Yield | $587 |
| Property Tax | $819,829 |
| Forfeit, Penalties | $0 |
|
Rents & Concessions (Room Rent, Printing, Copying Charges) |
$6,935 |
| Revenue from Use of Money | $4,033 |
| State Aid (HOPTR) | $8,665 |
| State Aid (Grants from State) | $58,919 |
| Other Federal | $58,790 |
| Other Current Services (Library Fines & Fees) |
$9,723 |
| Miscellaneous & Donations | $5,000 |
| Operating Transfers | $0 |
| Total Revenue | $1,022,204 |
| Expenditures | 2020/21 |
| Salaries & Employee Benefits | $621,572 |
| Communications | $73,402 |
| Household Expense (Janitorial) | $19,464 |
| Public Liability | $2,621 |
| Fire & Allied Coverage | $23,980 |
| Maintenance – Equipment | $3,363 |
| Maintenance – Buildings | $30,834 |
| Memberships | $3,512 |
| Supplies | $14,528 |
| Postage | $2,254 |
| Professional Services | $102,611 |
| Administrative Charges | $40,249 |
| Publications | $150 |
| Rents & Leases | $1 |
| Supplies & Services* (Library Materials) |
$146,019 |
| Transportation | $1,600 |
| Utilities | $63,240 |
| Inventory Items | $6,600 |
| Taxes & Assessments | $188 |
| Literacy Program Supplies | $66,160 |
| Interfund Reimbursements | -$7,500 |
| Total Expenditure | $1,214,848 |
*The Supplies & Services (Library Materials) budget is used to purchase new books, audiobooks, DVDs, ebooks, newspapers, magazines, microfilming, and other public materials for the library collection at all four branches. The current materials budget is not sufficient to provide materials in all formats for Lake County residents and the long term goal of the library is to increase the amount spent on library materials.
The library is also supported by donations from the public and non-profit charities such as the Friends of the Lake County Library. Most donations are deposited and expended in a separate fund.
If you have questions or concerns about the library budget please feel free to contact the Library Director.