Library sets November 2 hearing on proposed $2.19 million budget

Vermilion Parish residents can inspect the library's proposed 2027 budget and take part in a public hearing on Monday, November 2, at 5 p.m. at the Abbeville branch, according to the Library Board of Control's legal notice published October 21, 2026. The library's official branch page, checked October 21, lists the address as 405 E. St. Victor Street, Abbeville.

The notice says the proposed budget is available for public inspection at that branch between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., except holidays, and invites the public to participate in the budget process. It lists proposed general operating expenditures of $2,194,031.91. The resources shown to support that spending include $250,000 in estimated beginning-of-year fund balance; the total is not entirely new revenue.

The notice's proposed spending categories include $1,127,750 for personnel, $147,000 for collections, $175,331.91 for property and equipment maintenance, and $223,000 for professional services. These are proposed allocations for residents to examine and question before adoption. The notice does not establish an increase from the current budget or promise a particular service change.

The November 2 date also appears in the board's August 4 proceedings, checked October 21: the board voted to move its next quarterly meeting to Monday, November 2, after adding discussion of closing the Abbeville branch for the November 3 election. The newer proceedings and hearing notice differ from the library's older annual schedule, which still lists November 3.

For board meetings, the library's posted public-comment policy, revised July 23, 2024, directs speakers to attend in person, wait to be recognized, identify themselves and speak on agenda items. It generally limits a speaker to one comment of three minutes per item, with a possible extension under the policy. The hearing notice itself invites public participation but does not specify a separate written-comment deadline or a remote-comment option.

The proposed budget and the public hearing are separate from a later budget-adoption decision. The library's board-records page is the official place to check for updated meeting materials and subsequent recorded action.