Rochester, library approve new services agreement

ROCHESTER — Residents in the city of Rochester will continue to have access to the library, thanks to an updated, longstanding services contract.

The Rochester City Council unanimously approved the modernized Rochester Hills Public Library services agreement in late July — with a 6-0 vote. Councilmember Steve Sage was absent from the meeting.

Library Director Juliane Morian said the new contract was signed by all parties and executed Sept. 9.

The contract begins Jan. 1, 2026, with an initial term of three years and renews annually until either party wishes to terminate.

The cost to the city for 2026 — based on 2025 taxable values — is $838,690, which will be paid from the city’s general fund. The city was previously paying nearly $610,000 from the general fund for library services.

“I’m very proud that we’re going to be able to provide increased services to our residents with this contract without a tax increase,” Mayor Nancy Salvia said. “This council was very, very deliberate that we support our library, but we did not want to increase taxes. That was very important to this council.”

Mayor Pro Tem Stuart Bikson said he is also happy the council chose not to raise the millage and, instead, to fund the additional cost out of its own budget.

“This is a lot more money,” he said. “But, I think that we were very solid across the council members that we had to keep our library going, and we did that. I think this is a win-win for everybody.”

Councilwoman Marilyn Trent noted that public libraries are free and open to everyone, adding that they “are the backbone and basis of our shared American experience.”

“I love to be a part of having that continue to happen,” she said.

After Rochester Hills voters approved a new, additional millage in August 2024, the two contract communities — Rochester and Oakland Township — began the process of updating the existing contracts for service to bring all three communities, which Morian said enjoy equal access to all library services, into parity.

The library serves the residents of Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township. The library’s legal service population is 109,402, based on the 2020 census count for the three communities. As a city library, communities outside of the voting base can contract with the library, enjoy a lesser millage rate, and still receive uniform library services, but legally cannot seat a voting representative on the board. If the library were to operate as a district library, which would allow for a voting member from each community, Morian said, it would require that the same millage rate be applied uniformly across each municipality in the service area. The library’s 2025 annual budget was $7,780,376 and its 2026 annual budget is $8,825,000.

Each contract community appoints a liaison to serve alongside the elected library board. Liaisons are seated at the table in each meeting, serve on committees, and are expected to help guide and shape the direction of the library.

The library, according to Morian, is “one of the best examples of collaborative partnership in the greater Rochester area.”

“By pooling our resources, the library serves as a shining example of investment in a public good that one community could not achieve on its own,” she said.

From Morian’s perspective, the new contract “solidifies the partnership between RHPL and the city of Rochester for decades to come.”

Oakland Township also approved and signed a new contract for service with the library Sept. 9, after voters in Oakland Township passed two library millages Aug. 5.

The modernized agreements, Morian said, reflect contemporary costs for library services, bring the two contracts with the two communities into parity with one another, and align the renewal terms with the calendar year.

The library recently initiated new services and programs for all residents of the three communities, with more projects slated to begin in 2026. These include: an increased budget for new materials (over $1 million annually) with a renewed focus on more electronic materials and shorter wait times for popular materials; Sunday hours year-round that began in June 2025; upgrades to the existing fleet of bookmobiles, including a new early literacy mobile that debuted in June 2025; and more storytimes and programming sessions beginning this fall; and she said the library is investigating alternative delivery methods for getting items to patrons faster, such as same-day delivery of holds or books by mail.

The last time the library and the city of Rochester opened and renewed the library services contract was 40 years ago.