# Without $30 million from the City's main fund, libraries would likely lose Sunday hours, the commissioner told the Council *The library's own fund doesn't cover its costs, and the gap grows to about $50 million by 2028. Members also pressed on a Gage Park branch promised $11 million in state money.* By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 10, 2026 The Chicago Public Library's own tax-supported fund doesn't cover what it costs to run, and the 2027 budget fills the hole with about $30.9 million from the City's main operating fund, the library's commissioner told the Council's budget committee Friday ([watch](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=26469)). Asked what would happen without that money, the commissioner said the library would probably not be able to offer Sunday hours and would need to cut staff. Why it matters: Sunday visits are up 21% this year, to more than 600,000, the library said, and the first Sunday hour is the second-busiest of the week. The Council decides whether that $30 million stays in the budget. ## Where the money goes - The library's budget: $130.8 million, up $14.8 million, or 12.7%, according to the Council Office of Financial Analysis. - What the City money covers: it replaces about $18.6 million in TIF money the library used in 2026, keeps $5 million for books and materials (a $10 million collection budget in all), and pays for raises of about 4%, the commissioner said. About $25 million of it is for personnel. - The library fund: it raises about $166 million from its property tax levy, but only about $100 million goes to the library, the commissioner said. About $38 million goes to the Department of Fleet and Facility Management for security, janitors and maintenance, and $28 million to the City's general expenses. ## Members want the history Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said libraries will be short about $38 million in 2027 and more than $50 million in 2028, and asked if that was right. The commissioner said it was close to the budget office's estimates, "around that $50 million mark by 2028," and agreed to send exact figures through the chair. Lopez said he helped add $9 million for the library last year and convinced colleagues to back it ([watch](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=27937)). Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) and Lopez asked for ten years of figures on how the library fund has been split among the library, Fleet and Facilities and general expenses ([watch](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=31106)). "The library keeps getting pecked away at," one member said. ## Gage Park Members pressed the department on a permanent Gage Park branch. The commissioner said $11 million in state money, the department's only discretionary capital funds, is committed to it, and the City is looking at parcels to buy. One member said he had learned more about the project from Public Building Commission meetings than from the department. Ald. Jeylú Gutiérrez (14th) described how small the neighborhood's current storefront branch is, thanked staff and described the push for the state money ([watch](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=30116)). She also asked whether the library plans to replace staff with AI; the answer was "absolutely not," with translation tablets as an add-on ([watch](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=30568)). Each new branch costs about $1 million a year to staff and operate, the commissioner said, in answer to a member asking how the library decides where to build. Ald. Byron Sigcho-López (25th) asked for a Mexican and Latino heritage archive, noting the gap between Latinos' share of the city and of the library's archives ([watch](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=28994)). ## What our records add When the Mayor introduced the budget, he said libraries would be fully funded "without raising property taxes," [as we reported](/on-my-block/chicago-2027-budget-libraries-homelessness-youth-jobs-cuts). Friday's hearing showed how much of that depends on the main operating fund, the same fund the Council is trying to balance without a head tax. Full notes are on our [meeting page](/meeting/62AEBFEC-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5). *Sources: [Block Club Chicago: Libraries, homeless programs see boost in Mayor's budget, Oct. 20, 2026](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/20/libraries-homeless-programs-see-130m-boost-in-mayors-new-budget-proposal/).* ## Sources 1. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago: Libraries, homeless programs see boost in Mayor's budget, Oct. 20, 2026](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/20/libraries-homeless-programs-see-130m-boost-in-mayors-new-budget-proposal/) 2. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2) On the map: [Gage Park](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/gage-park), [14th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/14), [15th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/15) --- Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/chicago-public-library-30-million-gap-sunday-hours-gage-park-branch-hearing · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt