Recruiting and Retention
2023 Strategic Priorities
Vision
Serving and Empowering People; Providing Resources for Life, Leisure, and Learning.
Mission
Values
Integrity
Community
Education
Service
Fiscal Responsibility
Critical Success Factors
Staffing
Physical Locations
Sustainability Plan for Library Buildings
Community Education
Vision, Mission, Priorities and Budget
Board Governance
Responsive, Strategic, and Fiscally Responsible
The Board of Trustees of Delta County Public Library District adopted the amended 2023 budget at the January 18, 2023 board meeting.
Answers to Your Questions
General
The District Board has adopted the 2023 Budget, which supports keeping five libraries open for 2023. At the December 14 District Board meeting, trustees agreed unanimously that current conditions are unfavorable for passing a mill levy increase. The District Board will not pursue a mill levy tax increase in 2023. Please click here for a link to the 2023 budget.
Financial
Delta County Libraries is a special taxing district. The property tax levy income it receives is used only for Delta County Libraries. Property tax revenue funds approximately 70% of the District’s revenue stream. Sales tax revenue funds approximately 10% of the District’s revenue stream. The sales tax is distributed annually to the District by Delta County as a result of a 1% Delta County sales tax measure that passed in 1969. Of those funds, the County appropriates up to $50,000 per year for capital maintenance and approximately $87,967 per year for operating expenses. The balance of funding comes from miscellaneous sources including fines, fees, donations and grants. The District is not a division of the County government nor any other local municipality.
Delta Library Project
The current Delta Library Carnegie building is owned by the City of Delta. The City of Delta is selling the building to Delta County so that the County can expand the Sheriff’s office. The renovated City Market building will house the Delta Library and the City’s co-working and makerspace. When the project is completed, the Delta Library will move from the City-owned Carnegie building to the City-owned renovated building. The District does not own the Carnegie and will not own the renovated building. If the District were to remain in the Carnegie building, its future maintenance responsibilities would be two to three times higher than moving to the newly renovated building. The District is not contributing any library property tax revenue, which is its primary revenue source, toward this building project. The funds allocated for this project are distributed to the District from the County as capital funds (refer back to financial section for details).
Staff and Volunteers
The District strives to be a competitive employer in Delta County and struggles to hire new staff and retain staff for many reasons, some of which are budget-related. Neighboring counties like Mesa, Montrose and Gunnison are able to pay higher wages and recruit library professionals. In Delta County, it is easier to fill the entry-level circulation positions but very difficult to fill the specialized positions that require library experience. Since March of 2020 when COVID-19-related closures went into effect, the Libraries have lost many employees to early retirement, higher wages, and more flexible schedules. Additionally, when offering open positions to candidates, many decline to accept positions because they want higher pay or a more flexible schedule.
Library Board of Trustees Members






The Next Board Meeting:
Wednesday, May 17 at 4:00 pm.
Location: Paonia Library
To join virtually, click the “Join Board Meeting w/ Zoom” button below.
Or, for audio only, call 1 253.215.8782, use the meeting ID: 889 3362 9225.
Past meeting minutes:
Upcoming meetings:
Each Board meeting is the 3rd Wednesday (with the exception of the December meeting, which is held on the 2nd Wednesday in order to meet budget deadlines) at 4:00pm unless change is required. Any change will be posted in advance on our website and in each library location. The public is always welcome and encouraged to attend.
Cedaredge, CO 81413 United States
Crawford, CO 81415 United States
Delta, CO 81416 United States
Hotchkiss, CO 81419 United States
Paonia, CO 81428 United States
Cedaredge, CO 81413 United States
Crawford, CO 81415 United States