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Record of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting on 2027 Library Budget – August 12, 2026

Other Meetings (I) — Wednesday, August 12, 2026
BodyIndianapolis, Indiana
SessionOther Meetings (I)
DateWednesday, August 12, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
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0:04

Morning.

0:05

Call to order.

0:08

August 11th meeting of the finance meeting.

0:18

Present.

0:19

Ms.

0:20

Johnson.

0:22

Dr.

0:22

White, I think I'm here.

0:24

Present.

0:26

With that, we will now pause for a special public meeting to review the library long-term plan and draft the 2027 budget.

0:40

Present our president, Mr.

0:42

Beatham.

0:43

Oh, yeah.

0:44

So I I'll move to uh suspend the uh special meeting and convene a public hearing.

0:50

Um do I have a second?

0:53

It's been moved and seconded.

0:55

Um all in favor signify by saying aye.

0:59

Aye.

0:59

Aye.

1:00

All right.

1:00

Any nays?

1:01

Okay, good.

1:02

All right.

1:03

Um so this is a special meeting in a public hearing uh to consider the 2027 library budget is advertised on August 1st, 2026 in the IBJ in the Indianapolis star.

1:15

Uh we've invited um CFO Lilita Campbell to discuss the 2027 budget.

1:21

Welcome.

1:22

Good morning.

1:23

Good morning.

1:24

Thank you for attending the 2027 budget presentation.

1:28

Can you hear me well?

1:29

Yes.

1:30

Okay.

1:30

Okay.

1:32

So this is going to be a short high level budget presentation for today.

1:38

And if everyone don't know, this is the ELT team.

1:42

So this is our mission and vision, and this is our team.

1:45

They're dynamic, and um hope everyone knows them.

1:50

And this is who I really want to highlight.

1:52

It's my accounting team, because without them, we would never receive our DFOA award, and they're awesome.

1:58

So this is just some of them.

2:00

I'm I'm missing three of them.

2:02

Maybe four of them.

2:08

So as you know, um, we are still in our strategic plan for the 2025 to 2027.

2:14

And this is some of our highlights that we have um for our strategic plan for our um cut to it.

2:29

Um for our um 2025 participation, we had over 26.9 million, and um for this year we have more than that.

2:38

So I'm just gonna highlight some of the things that we have done over this um year.

2:44

And of course, the number one thing is the workplace of choice.

2:49

Without our C2 plan, um the plan tells us what we have accomplished.

2:54

The budget demonstrates what we're willing to invest in our accomplishments, and if we don't find our strategic priorities, there remain aspiration rather than executable plans.

3:06

I just want to state that.

3:07

So, and here are some more of our community impacts for the 2026.

3:14

Um, this you'll find this information, some of this information in our um 2025 annual report.

3:22

So um just want to highlight some of these things because this shows how awesome the NDPL is and our community impact with our volunteers.

3:31

Uh, with our volunteers, there's you know, um, we will fall short on some of our activities that we have, and then also then we have our um top workplace of choice um for um NDPL.

3:46

Um this is one of the awards that we have earned, and I think we um really um should have earned it a long time ago, but this is good.

3:58

So our workplace of choice destination is not achieved by words alone, it is supported by intentional financial investments.

4:06

This budget reflects our commitment to employees through our competitive compensation, uh professional development, employees' well-being, and the resources needed for success.

4:16

By investing in our workforce, we strengthen our ability to serve our community and fulfill our mission.

4:23

Here are some of our key budget dates.

4:26

So um, as you see, today we're having a public hearing, and then the board will adopt the budget um on August 24th when the um board meeting, and then um the municipal corporation will have a meeting on September the 16th, but we will also do our presentation on September the 23rd to the municipal corporation on October the 1st.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget█████████████████████████████████████████████64%
Procedural█████████████████24%
Technology and Innovation███4%
Financial Reporting██3%
Property Tax Assessment█2%
Personnel Matters█2%
Fiscal Sustainability█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting on 2027 Library Budget – August 12, 2026

The Indianapolis Finance Committee convened a special public meeting and public hearing on August 12, 2026, to review the 2027 library budget. CFO Lilita Campbell presented the proposed budget, which totals $74,135,852 (a 5.3% increase over the current year). The operating budget is $69,181,573 (a 3% increase). The meeting included a presentation on financial strategies, property tax reform impacts, and a recommendation to the full board.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered comments on the proposed budget. The chair closed the public hearing after confirming no speakers.

Discussion Items

  • 2027 Budget Presentation: CFO Lilita Campbell, joined by the ELT team, highlighted the library's strategic plan (2025–2027) and community impacts, including over 26.9 million in participation. She emphasized the library's conservative budgeting approach, which has historically resulted in positive operating results despite budgeted deficits. Key budget details: personnel services (65% of operating budget), supplies (slightly decreased), and other services/charges (small increase). The tax rate is projected to remain at 0.0318% due to rising assessed values.
  • Revenue vs. Expenditure Pressures: Campbell noted that revenue from property taxes (81% of operating revenue) is not keeping pace with inflation, leading to a projected deficit in 2026 and 2027. However, the library has sufficient fund balance to cover shortfalls, and property tax reform (SB1) may increase uncertainty. The board discussed rising personnel costs, insurance, facility/security, and digital materials/technology expenses.
  • Board Questions and Comments: A board member suggested adding "communication" to the strategic goal of keeping technology up to date, noting the need to adapt communication channels for different abilities (e.g., blindness, deafness). Another member asked about an increase in electricity costs; Campbell explained it follows a steady trend. A question about salary and hourly line items was clarified: some part-time positions were moved to full-time, affecting the hourly budget line.
  • Resolution for Appropriation Tax Table: Campbell presented a resolution (to be recommended to the full board) containing the advertised budget, significant assumptions, tax rate, debt service details, and a comparison from 2023 actuals to 2027 proposed. The committee recommended this resolution for approval by the full board at its August 24 meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • The finance committee voted unanimously to recommend the 2027 budget (as presented) to the full board for adoption on August 24, 2026.
  • The committee also recommended the appropriation tax table resolution for approval by the full board.
  • The board will present the budget to the city-county council on September 23, 2026, with a final council vote expected on October 1, 2026.
  • The committee expressed appreciation for the finance team's work and effective communication with city officials.

Meeting Transcript

Morning. Call to order. August 11th meeting of the finance meeting. Present. Ms. Johnson. Dr. White, I think I'm here. Present. With that, we will now pause for a special public meeting to review the library long-term plan and draft the 2027 budget. Present our president, Mr. Beatham. Oh, yeah. So I I'll move to uh suspend the uh special meeting and convene a public hearing. Um do I have a second? It's been moved and seconded. Um all in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. All right. Any nays? Okay, good. All right. Um so this is a special meeting in a public hearing uh to consider the 2027 library budget is advertised on August 1st, 2026 in the IBJ in the Indianapolis star. Uh we've invited um CFO Lilita Campbell to discuss the 2027 budget. Welcome. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you for attending the 2027 budget presentation. Can you hear me well? Yes. Okay. Okay. So this is going to be a short high level budget presentation for today. And if everyone don't know, this is the ELT team. So this is our mission and vision, and this is our team. They're dynamic, and um hope everyone knows them. And this is who I really want to highlight. It's my accounting team, because without them, we would never receive our DFOA award, and they're awesome. So this is just some of them. I'm I'm missing three of them. Maybe four of them. So as you know, um, we are still in our strategic plan for the 2025 to 2027. And this is some of our highlights that we have um for our strategic plan for our um cut to it. Um for our um 2025 participation, we had over 26.9 million, and um for this year we have more than that. So I'm just gonna highlight some of the things that we have done over this um year. And of course, the number one thing is the workplace of choice. Without our C2 plan, um the plan tells us what we have accomplished. The budget demonstrates what we're willing to invest in our accomplishments, and if we don't find our strategic priorities, there remain aspiration rather than executable plans. I just want to state that.

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