Douglas County Libraries proposes $11.15 million for Sterling Ranch; director recommends two-branch consolidation

Douglas County Libraries’ preliminary 2027 budget sets aside $11,151,889 for Sterling Ranch construction, while the executive director recommends moving Louviers and Roxborough library operations to the planned branch. The board has not adopted the budget or the consolidation recommendation.

A draft budget in the packet prepared for the Oct. 28 board meeting projects $45,493,271 in revenue and lists $42,885,848 in operating, interest and fee expenditures and $11,981,129 for capital-improvement projects. The listed expense categories total $54,866,977, or $9,373,706 more than projected revenue. Revenue exceeds operating, interest and fee expenses by about $2.61 million, so capital spending accounts for the projected shortfall. The packet does not identify what source would cover the overall gap. Its budget message says the Sterling Ranch library will be provided “on a cash basis,” but does not explain how the broader shortfall would be financed.

The packet schedules a public hearing and consideration of the proposed budget for Dec. 9; it does not record an adoption. The draft includes 17 additional full-time positions: 12 in customer experience, two in community engagement and three supporting infrastructure services. The positions would support the planned branch opening and other infrastructure needs. The packet estimates the Sterling Ranch project will be completed around July 2027.

The budget projects about $41.68 million in property-tax revenue, roughly $5.08 million more than the 2026 budget. The district attributes much of the difference to a $5 million taxpayer rebate included in the prior-year budget, so the increase does not represent only new revenue growth.

The executive director’s memo presents alternatives for both communities, including keeping current service, switching to self-service or introducing mobile service. For Louviers, another option is upgrading service as a small-community library. The memo says keeping either existing branch or choosing an alternative would require budget changes. Roxborough’s lease runs through Dec. 31, 2027, and keeping that location would require extending it.

The Louviers library is on the second floor of a building that the memo says does not meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is about five miles by car from Sterling Ranch. Roxborough’s current branch is about 3.8 miles away, and the memo says the county plans to extend its Link transportation service to Sterling Ranch for customers who cannot drive. The packet describes no comparable transportation plan for Louviers. The Roxborough Metro District has expressed interest in providing community space to support a library presence there.

The packet does not set a date for either branch’s service transition.