The Hamilton Public Library (HPL) Board will meet Wednesday without any city councillors at the table, because the new Hamilton City Council has not yet appointed any. The board’s regularly scheduled November meeting falls at the same time as the new City Council’s inaugural meeting [start time of inaugural meeting?].
November’s primary agenda item is the HPL 2027 budget request, which is scheduled to go before the new City Council in January. The budget presentation is not included in the agenda package.
In October, the HPL Board approved a 2027 tax operating budget request of $41,421,095, an increase of $1,971,809 from the 2026 budget. This represents a 5.0 per cent increase in property tax levy funding. HPL’s total 2027 operating budget forecast is $43,423,931.
The board is also reviewing its governing by-law. The one major proposed change concerns delegations. Currently, requests must be submitted seven days before a meeting, but agendas are released only five days ahead, so the deadline passes before the public can see what is being discussed. The update would allow requests until 48 hours before a meeting.
DISCLOSURE: TPR publisher Joey Coleman submitted correspondence to the HPL Board encouraging it to adopt a different deadline: noon the day before a meeting, which would match Hamilton City Council’s procedure. Read the full correspondence.
Other items on the agenda include quarterly statistics and monthly update information reports, an AI usage policy, and other policy updates [confirm against agenda titles].
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, and will be livestreamed.
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Published: November 14, 2026
Last updated: November 14, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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