Chicago Public Library – BGA Policy 2025 Budget Snapshot

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2024 Budget

• Overall budgeted headcount is down 50 positions at CPL, one of the largest net reductions in departmental positions. Budgeted librarian headcount is down a net -14 positions across various levels of the title, library clerk positions are down -15 positions across all the associated titles, library page positions are down -6, and hourly library associate positions are down -9.
• As with several other departments, BACP's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.
• Apart from the new reserve balance category, schedule salary adjustments saw the only CPL appropriation increase in this year's budget.
• Among the department's largest appropriation reductions, the construction of buildings and structures appropriation, which had been just over $10 million in 2024, was eliminated entirely.

Historical Context

Rahm Emanuel made significant cuts to the public library staff in his first budget, from which it slowly increased over time, with a large number of new positions added under Lori Lightfoot.

From 2011-2024, the CPL budget grew at an average rate of 4.4% per year. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 6.1% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 8.5% annually.

The library's budgeted workforce grew at a rate of roughly 0.2% annually from 2011-2024. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of 0.04%.

The 2025 proposed budget increases the library budget by 4.4%, a higher rate of growth than its historical average and the overall budget growth in 2024. Staffing, however, is down by 50 positions, a -4.3% reduction from the previous year.

Staffing

Overall budgeted headcount is down 50 positions at CPL, one of the largest net reductions in departmental positions.

Budgeted librarian headcount is down a net -14 positions across various levels of the title, library clerk positions are down -15 positions across all the associated titles, library page positions are down -6, and hourly library associate positions are down -9.

As in several other departments, clerk positions (distinct from library clerk, which is a separate title) have been eliminated entirely, for a total reduction of -19 positions across the various titles and levels, while the number of administrative assistant positions has increased by 12 for a net change of -7 in non-senior clerical/assistant staff.

Appropriations

CPL is a non-corporate-fund department, with the bulk of its appropriations coming from a dedicated library fund and the remainder from state grants. The library fund relies on the property tax levy for revenue.

Largest Appropriations

Salaries and wages on payroll are the library's largest appropriation by far, followed by library books and materials. (With the exception of a new "reserve balance" appropriation - as with other departments, this new appropriation account category was added to the 2025 budget and in many cases applied retroactively to 2024 appropriations data as well. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.)

Change from Previous Year

Apart from the new reserve balance category, schedule salary adjustments saw the only CPL appropriation increase in this year's budget.

Among the department's largest appropriation reductions, the construction of buildings and structures appropriation, which had been just over $10 million in 2024, was eliminated entirely.

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