The Board is actively working on the FY26‑27 budget, with discussion items at both the May 20 and June 24, 2026 meetings. The Director notes that the new draft incorporates a substantial capital improvement line for the tuckpointing project, a 3% COLA for staff with more than one year of service, and reductions in lines like Travel, Training, Special Events, and Periodicals to accommodate capital needs and delayed property-tax distributions. The budget narrative explains that delayed Cook County tax bills pushed distributions and forced the library to rely more heavily on reserves, and that the upcoming tuckpointing project will use a majority of those reserves.This is a planning-stage signal for vendors in capital planning, financial modeling, energy and maintenance optimization, and grant strategy: the library is juggling aggressive building investments with structural revenue timing challenges and may be receptive to services or tools that help them phase projects, align grant cycles, and protect operating stability.

The Director plans to apply to Cook County’s Property Tax Bridge Fund Program for no-interest loans, adding another layer of financial compliance and reporting to the budget process.