Chief Librarian Paul Takala has formally requested a 5.25 per cent budget increase for the Hamilton Public Library (HPL) in 2026, a figure that surpasses Mayor Andrea Horwath’s 4.25 per cent “Hold the Line” budget directive.
The 5.25 per cent request amounts to a $1.97 million dollar increase to the HPL’s levy-funded operating budget, bringing the total proposed levy spend to $39.4-million for the operation of the system’s 23 branches and two bookmobiles.
The HPL would need to cut $374,814 from its levy funding request to meet the 4.25 per cent directive.
This request is $374,814 above the 4.25 per cent tax increase limit mandated by the Mayor. The HPL utilized $800,000 from its reserves in 2025, and plans to use $500,000 in 2026 to lower the tax levy increase.
The largest driver of the proposed increase is employee-related costs, which are projected to increase by just under $1.34-million. The second largest increase is attributed to chargeback fees from the City of Hamilton to the Library for services including facilities, grounds, vehicle maintenance, and information technology (IT) services.
A significant portion of the HPL’s 7.3 per cent budget increase in 2025 was related to the costs incurred in responding to the City of Hamilton’s cybersecurity failure and the subsequent development of separate IT infrastructure for the Library. Prior budget increases were 2.5 per cent in 2022, 3.5 per cent in 2023, and 4.4 per cent in 2024.
Looking forward, the HPL projects future levy-funded budget increases of 4.97 per cent in 2027, 5.09 per cent in 2028, and 5.00 per cent in 2029.
The Hamilton Public Library Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, to debate the budget recommendation contained in a report to the Library Board. The meeting will be livestreamed.
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Published: October 21, 2025
Last updated: October 21, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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