Lyon Co. board approves library funding proposal

Allocation depends on city's additioinal contribution

MARSHALL -- A resolution that could help the Marshall-Lyon County Library meet an $82,000 revenue shortfall next year got approval from Lyon County Commissioners.

On Tuesday, commissioners acted on a proposal to allocate additional funds to the library, in a two-thirds/one-third split with the city of Marshall.

Under the proposal, the county would contribute up to $27,333 beyond its planned library funding allocation for 2027. The exact amount of additional funds would depend on how much additional funding the city of Marshall provides for the library.

As Lyon County faces budget challenges for 2027, county staff and commissioners have been looking at reducing appropriations for organizations like the Marshall-Lyon County Library. The preliminary 2027 county budget that commissioners approved this fall included a $306,000 allotment for MLCL. It would be about a 25% reduction from the previous year's county funding for the library.

The county needs to certify its 2027 appropriation for MLCL by Nov. 15, said Commissioner Todd Draper.

In late October, commissioners heard a proposal that could help cover the library's revenue shortfall. In the proposal, the county would contribute $1 in additional funding for every additional $2 the city of Marshall provided the library, up to a maximum county commitment of $27,333.

"The $27,333 is contingent on the city," Draper said.

If both Marshall and Lyon County contribute, the arrangement could help the library cover an $82,000 revenue shortfall for 2027, Draper said

Commissioners held a roll-call vote on whether to approve a resolution appropriating $306,000 for MLCL, plus additional funding up to $27,333 dependent on funding from the city of Marshall. The motion was unanimously approved.

Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg said he wasn't sure what kind of funding the county would be able to appropriate for MLCL past 2027. The county's own budget challenges might also go past next year.

"My suspicion is we're still going to have budget issues for 2028. For 2027, we've done some substantial cuts in our appropriations," Stomberg said. "If we're still squeezed with Health and Human Services (costs), and if our health insurance cost doesn't settle down, we're going to have to look internally at the other services that the county provides."